ADULT

SABBATH SCHOOL

LESSONS

No Time To Lose

JAN FEB MAR 1992

INTRODUCING THE SABBATH SCHOOL

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Contents

The Day of the Lord

Revival and Reformation

The Early and Latter Rains

Judgment Brings Deliverance

The Nations Challenged; the Remnant Delivered

Leaders Challenged

Promises of Hope

Power to Do God's Will

Spiritual and Material Restoration

10.

Desolation of the Earth

11.

God's Appeal

12.

God's Love and Justice Are Supreme

13.

The Kingdom Restored

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Meet the Principal Contributor to

This Quarter's Lessons

Leo R. Van Dolson retired from denominational ser-

vice in 1987 following a career in pastoral work, teach-

ing, and editing. He pastored in the U.S. and Japan, and

taught religion at Pacific Union College and health

education at Loma Linda University School of Health.

He holds a Master's in Public Health from Loma Linda

University and a Ph.D. in educational administration

from Claremont College.

Dr. Van Dolson has served as editor of

Ministry

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Life and Health,

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Advent-

ist Review.

Most recently he was editor of the

Adult Sab-

bath School Lessons.

He has authored or co-authored 18

books, including

Healthy, Happy, Holy; God's Footprint on

My Floor;

and

Boost Your Prophets,

and has written

several adult quarterlies.

Dr. Van Dolson writes for several publications, and

enjoys bird-watching and oil painting. He and his wife,

Bobbie Jane, have two adult children.

Check with your local Adventist Book Center for

the companion book to the Sabbath School Lessons.

Introduction to the Book of Joel

Joel does not tell us much about himself. He gives his background

in just 13 words. He tells us that his father is Pethuel but gives no

clue as to what tribe he comes from. Neither does he list the kings

under whom he prophesied. Because he ministered in Judah and

Jerusalem, it seems likely that he was a native of Judah. His name

means "Yahweh is God."

The time in which Joel wrote is debated by scholars. They have

suggested dates ranging from the ninth century B.C. to the mid-fifth

century B.C. John Calvin insightfully remarked that knowledge of

the exact time in which Joel wrote "is of no great importance." Joel's

message has timeless significance. If he wrote before the exile, the

"day of the Lord" could refer to the Babylonian invasions. If he wrote

after the exile, the "day of the Lord" could refer to the Greek or

Roman attacks on Palestine. Whatever the historical context of his

book, its end-time significance remains intact.

Ellen G. White accepted the eighth century B.C. as the period in

which the book of Joel was written. Writing of the dark day of May

19, 1780, she said: "The description of this event, as given by eye-

witnesses, is but an echo of the words of the Lord, recorded by the

prophet Joel, twenty-five hundred years previous to their fulfill-

ment."—The

Great Controversy,

p. 308.

The immediate occasion of Joel's call to repentance is a locust

plague that had devastated Palestine. This calamity foreshadowed

the day of the Lord when the unfaithful would receive retribution at

the hands of the Lord's army. Because God allowed the locust plague

and the subsequent attacks of unbelieving enemies, they are depicted

as His servants for the punishment of the unfaithful. Both the locusts

and the invading enemies of Israel foreshadow God's heavenly army

that will confront the rebellious powers of earth at the end of time

and deliver His loyal people.

Joel's clear-ringing trumpet call challenges us to sense our need

of individual repentance as the close of probation draws near. Only

as we respond to this call can we receive the "former" and "latter"

rains that the Lord promises to pour upon His people. Only as we

enter into a close personal relationship with Jesus can we have con-

fidence that our salvation is assured when the world will be gathered

into the valley of decision.

JOEL—A CLEAR-RINGING CALL

1:1

2:11

2:12-17

2:18-3:21

Judgment Has Come

Call to Repentance,

Revival, and

Reformation

Promised Result of

Reformation

Lesson 1

December 29—January 4

The Day of the Lord

(Sabbath

„Afternoon

READ FOR THIS WEEK'S STUDY: Joel 1:1-2:15.

MEMORY TEXT: "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound

an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the

land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh

at hand" (Joel 2:1).

KEY THOUGHT: The phrase

day of the Lord,

as used in Joel and

throughout Scripture, not only describes God's past judgments but

also points to the final judgment and the deliverance of God's

people at the end of time. This week's lesson challenges us to sense

the nearness of the close of probation and Christ's second coming.

It also urges us to let the Lord complete His work in our own

hearts and lives.

THE DAY OF THE LORD IS NEAR. Joel's book is a master-

piece of Hebrew prophetic literature. In his day he was perceived

as blowing the trumpet faithfully in Zion and giving the clear-

ringing call God commanded him to sound.

The Word of the Lord still sounds a clear-ringing trumpet call.

Joel's faithful legacy imparts to us an urgent sense that the day of

the Lord is near.

Knowing that time is short, Satan does all he can to keep us

from responding to the call for reformation and revival. But

now

the time to plead for God to expose Satan's deceptions.

Now,

while

the trumpet of the last judgment sounds from the pages of Joel, we

must heed the call to repent and totally commit our lives to finish-

ing God's work in our lives and in the world.

soder

December 29

THE PLAGUE OF LOCUSTS (Joel 1:1-20).

"The word of the Lord." The first five words of Joel suggest that

he wishes to establish his authenticity on the basis of what he ex-

perienced rather than on who he was.

What words and phrases does Joel use to describe the plague

of locusts? Joel 1:2-4, 10-12.

How extensive was the devastation caused by the locust

plague? Joel 1:4, 6, 7.

"The locusts are called a nation .. . because of their organization.

. . . The locust swarm is called strong . . . because of its multitude and

ability to destroy vegetation. . . . The teeth of the locust, . . . called

lions' teeth, are edged like a saw to enable it to gnaw through even

the bark of trees."—The

Interpreter's Bible,

vol. 6, p. 738.

Locust plagues have been common in Palestine. H. Schneller

describes one such plague this way: " 'We had a famine in the 2d

year of the war [19151 such as we had not experienced in 50 years.

The sky was darkened by the gigantic swarms of locusts which

covered the whole country, and neither sun nor moon could be

seen. All of Palestine was transformed into a desert within a few

days. All trees, from their tops to the ground, including the bark,

were eaten up clean; our vegetable gardens, cultivated with so

much labor, disappeared as by magic. The following spring there

crept forth from hundreds of billions of eggs the new brood, which

consumed the little that had been left. The result was a terrific

famine.'

"—SDA

Bible Dictionary,

article, "Locust."

What effect did the plague have on the drunkards (Joel 1:5,

10), the farmers (verse 11), the priests (verses 9, 13), and the

animals (verses 18, 20)?

Why did the Lord allow this devastating plague to come upon

Israel? What did He hope the results would be?

What calamities have come upon nations or people groups in the

recent past? Have you personally experienced hardship or tragedy?

If so, what response do you think the Lord was hoping for?

December 30

THE DAY OF THE LORD (Joel 2:1, 2).

We find the phrase "day of the Lord" about 20 times in the

prophetic books of the Old Testament. Joel uses it five times.

What do the locusts symbolize? Joel 1:15; 2:1, 2.

The "day of the Lord" in the Old Testament refers to a time

when God would punish the unfaithful. But it was also a time

when He would protect and vindicate the faithful. The days of the

Lord in Israel's history pointed forward to the final day of the

Lord when history will come to an end.

How would you describe the day of the Lord after reading the

following passages? Isa. 13:6-10; Eze. 30:1-5; Amos 5:18-20; Zeph.

1:2-7, 14-18.

There were many days of the Lord throughout Israel's history.

Isaiah foretold the destruction of Babylon because the nation had

ignored God's claims. Amos's predictions were fulfilled when the

Assyrians destroyed the northern kingdom in 722 B.C. The day of

the Lord for Zephaniah was Nebuchadnezzar's invasion of Judah.

And the day of the Lord for Ezekiel was when retribution would

come upon the nations surrounding Israel.

According to Joel, what does the "day of the Lord" involve?

Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14.

Joel saw the coming calamity for Israel as a symbol of cosmic

calamity. The day of the Lord symbolized the time when God

would bring the nations of earth to judgment and bestow eternal

peace and prosperity upon His people. Joel predicted the end of

the world. "In visions of the great judgment day, the inspired mes-

sengers of Jehovah were given glimpses of the consternation of

those unprepared to meet their Lord in peace. . . . [Joel 1:15-18, 12

quoted]. The day of wrath to the enemies of God is the day of final

deliverance to His

church."—Prophets and Kings,

pp. 726, 727.

After reading Matthew 24:3-11 and 2 Timothy 3:1-5, ask your-

self what present-day events "are casting their shadows" toward

the Second Coming.

December 31

BLARING TRUMPETS AND A MARCHING ARMY (Joel 2:1-15).

Two activities mark the day of the Lord as Joel describes it: (1)

trumpets blowing and (2) an army marching.

Joel uses the phrase "blow the trumpet in Zion" twice in

chapter 2 (verses 1, 15). What significance does this figure of

speech have for you?

"The blowing of the trumpet was used in Israel to call the

people to the door of the 'tent of meeting,' to start them on their

journey, to sound an alarm in the way, and to call them to a holy

convocation at the time of their festivals (Num. 10:1-10)."—Homer

Hailey,

A Commentary on the Minor Prophets

(Grand Rapids, Mich.:

Baker Book House, 1972), p. 47.

The trumpet call of Joel's day is being repeated today. "To

prepare a people to stand in the day of God, a great work of

reform was to be accomplished. God saw that many of His

professed people were not building for eternity, and in His mercy

He was about to send a message of warning to arouse them from

their stupor, and lead them to make ready for the coming of the

Lord."—The

Great Controversy,

p. 311.

What indication do we find in Joel 2:6, 10, and 11, that God

had something in mind far greater than a locust invasion?

The last part of verse 6 in the Revised Standard Version reads,

"all faces grow pale." Compare this with Jeremiah 30:6 and

Nahum 2:10. "Before His presence, 'all faces are turned into

paleness'; upon the rejecters of God's mercy falls the terror of eter-

nal despair; . . . The faces of the righteous are lighted up, and joy

fills every heart. And the angels strike a note higher and sing again

as they draw still nearer to earth."—The

Great Controversy,

p. 641.

Which of the following words best describes your reaction to

Joel's warning of judgments to come?

Fear



Pleasure

Confidence



Indifference

Hostility



Solemnity

Examine your feelings to discover why you answered the way

you did.

Ilidnesdas

January 1

THE ULTIMATE DAY OF THE LORD.

What army will bring the ultimate day of the Lord? Rev. 17:14;

19:11-14.

Notice how the descriptions of events surrounding Christ's

second coming in

The Great Controversy

fit Joel's description.

(Review Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31, 32; 3:14-16.)

"By the people of God a voice, clear and melodious, is heard,

saying, 'Look up,' and lifting their eyes to the heavens, they be-

hold the bow of promise. The black, angry clouds that covered the

firmament are parted, and like Stephen they look up steadfastly

into heaven and see the glory of God and the Son of man seated

upon His throne. . . .

"In the midst of the angry heavens is one clear space of in-

describable glory, whence comes the voice of God like the sound

of many waters, saying: 'It is done.' Revelation 16:17.

"That voice shakes the heavens and the earth. There is a mighty

earthquake, 'such as was not since men were upon the earth, so

mighty an earthquake and so great.' Verses 17, 18. . . . The moun-

tains shake like a reed in the wind, and ragged rocks are scattered

on every side. . . . The whole earth heaves and swells like the

waves of the sea. Its surface is breaking up. . . . The proudest cities

of the earth are laid low. The lordly palaces, upon which the

world's great men have lavished their wealth in order to glorify

themselves, are crumbling to ruin before their eyes. . . .

"Through a rift in the clouds there beams a star whose bril-

liancy is increased fourfold in contrast with the darkness. It speaks

hope and joy to the faithful, but severity and wrath to the trans-

gressors of God's law. Those who have sacrificed all for Christ are

now secure, hidden as in the secret of the Lord's pavilion. They

have been tested, and before the world and the despisers of truth

they have evinced their fidelity to Him who died for them. . . .

Their voices rise in triumphant song: 'God is our refuge and

strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear,

though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be car-

ried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and

be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling there-

of.' Psalm 46:1-3."—The

Great Controversy,

pp. 636-639.

Now underline those parts that relate to the joy felt by the

saved.

January 2

NEW TESTAMENT VOICES.

What appeals do New Testament prophets make to those who

are facing the imminent day of the Lord? 1 Cor. 1:8; 1 Thess. 5:2-

8; 2 Peter 3:10-12.

What will qualify us to be among Christ's faithful remnant in

the great day of the Lord? Paul and Peter invite us to be "blame-

less," "children of light," people whose manner of life is holy. But

how can we be holy? The most exciting truth in the Word of God

is that the blamelessness, light, and holiness of Jesus may be ours

as by faith we receive His Holy Spirit into our hearts. Believers in

Jesus "have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God

the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for

obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood" (1 Peter 1:2,

NW). Our precious faith has come "through the righteousness of

our God and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:1, NW).

Because Jesus bestows His divine presence upon us by giving us

the Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts (John 14:15-18), we have the

qualifying gift of His righteousness (Rom. 8:9, 10).

How did Jesus explain the transforming and sanctifying work

of the Holy Spirit to Nicodemus? John 3:1-18.

"When the Spirit of God takes possession of the heart, it trans-

forms the life. Sinful thoughts are put away, evil deeds are

renounced; love, humility, and peace take the place of anger, envy,

and strife. Joy takes the place of sadness, and the countenance

reflects the light of heaven. No one sees the hand that lifts the bur-

den, or beholds the light descend from the courts above. The bless-

ing which no human eye can see creates a new being in the image

of God."—The

Desire of Ages,

p. 173.

The apostles repeated the teaching of Jesus. Paul wrote: "Hope

does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into

our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us"

(Rom. 5:5, RSV). The result is that Spirit-filled persons are "slaves

of righteousness" (Rom. 6:18, RSV). They are now sons and

daughters of God who can look forward confidently to the final

events of this world's history. (See Rom. 8:12-17.)

Reread John 3:1-18. How do Jesus' words affect you? What is

your response?

January 3

FURTHER STUDY:

Study in context the following passages on

the day of the Lord in the New Testament: 1 Cor. 5:1-5; 2 Cor. 1:13,

14; 2 Thess. 2:1-3; Rev. 6:15-17.

Read pages 311-316 in

The Great Controversy

(the last part of the

chapter entitled "Heralds of the Morning"). Compare the spiritual

state of God's people before the first advent of Christ with our

condition today.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

What does it mean to have your feet firmly planted on the

truth?

Under what circumstances is God able to draw His covering

over you so you will be sheltered in the time of storm soon to

come?

How can you have the assurance of being saved at the

Second Coming?

What have you learned about the necessity of a close re-

lationship with Christ? What practical steps can you take to

improve your relationship with Him?

In what specific ways can you meet the challenge of this les-

son in your home and work environment?

What promises brought out in this lesson can you claim?

SUMMARY:

The day of the Lord in Joel describes both an event in

historical time and the coming of the Lord for the deliverance of

God's people at the end of time. The analogy of a severe locust

plague points to the time when Christ and the armies of heaven

will come to destroy those who are destroying this earth. The

trumpet is blowing in Zion, warning us that the close of probation

is near and that it is time to prepare for Christ's second coming.

Lesson 2

January 5-11

Revival and Reformation

Saillutit,-Ifternoon

READ FOR THIS WEEK'S STUDY: Joel 2:12-17.

MEMORY TEXT: "And rend your heart, and not your gar-

ments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he

is gracious

and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and

repenteth him of the evil" (Joel 2:13).

KEY THOUGHT: "A revival of

true godliness among us is the

greatest and most urgent of all our needs. To seek this should be

our first work. There must be earnest effort to obtain the blessing

of the Lord, not because God is not willing to bestow His blessing

upon us, but because we are unprepared to receive

it."—Selected

Messages,

book 1, p. 121.

THE LORD CALLS FOR TOTAL COMMITMENT. In

1734

Jonathan Edwards began preaching a series of sermons on jus-

tification by faith to the religiously bankrupt citizens of the Mas-

sachusetts colony settled by the English on the North American

continent. Conversions took place, slowly at first, then in large

numbers. The revival spilled over into many other communities.

That movement, known as the Great Awakening, was one of the

most revitalizing experiences in American history.

The time has come for the final great awakening in the Advent-

ist Church. We need new spiritual life, a much closer walk with

Jesus, victory over sin, a greater infilling of the Spirit, and a new

willingness to share the Lord's blessings with others.

January 5

THE REAL THING (Joel 2:12).

How do we follow the instruction, "Turn ye even to me with

all your heart" (Joel 2:12)? See Rom. 2:4; 2 Tim. 2:25.

The obvious answer to this question seems to be that we should

turn to the Lord through fasting, weeping, and mourning. After

all, this is what Joel 2:12 tells us to do. On the other hand, no

amount of fasting, weeping, or mourning will cause us to turn our

hearts to the Lord unless we respond to the convicting voice of the

Holy Spirit. External forms of religion, ceremonies, self-flagellation,

or self-induced sorrow for our human failures are no substitute for

the real thing—a heart responding to the pleading voice of the

Holy Spirit.

But we do not of ourselves have the power to turn our own

hearts to the Lord. We submit to His call, and He gives us genuine

sorrow for past sin and power to turn away from it. "The very first

step to Christ is taken through the drawing of the Spirit of God; as

man responds to this drawing, he advances toward Christ in order

that he may

repent."—Selected Messages,

book 1, p. 390.

How did Jesus describe the blessings that would come as a

result of genuine sorrow for sin as manifested through fasting,

weeping, and mourning? Matt. 5:4; 6:16-18; Luke 6:21.

In ancient Israel fasts tended to become a hypocritical means of

demonstrating personal piety. Jesus condemned this practice.

The true fast involves practical service for others.

When our

hearts are genuinely turned to the Lord, we do not withdraw into

a depressed state of weeping and mourning, hardly daring to face

the world. The Lord knows that the best cure for grief is action.

Our genuine sorrow for sin and newfound union with Christ lead

us to reach out in sympathy and love to those around us.

"Is not this the fast that I choose. . . ? Is it not to share your

bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your

house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide

yourself from your own flesh?" (Isa. 58:6, 7, RSV).

What great principles are involved in Isaiah 58:6, 7? (See Matt.

22:37-40; James 1:27.) How does applying these principles to your

life change things for the better?

Motu

lair



January 6

MAKING AN EARNEST EFFORT (Joel 2:13).

What did the admonition to "rend your heart, and not your

garments" (Joel 2:13) mean to God's people in Joel's day? Ps.

34:18; 51:17. What does it mean to us?

How easy it would have been for one of Joel's contemporaries

to rend his garments as a sign of piety without having any real

heart sorrow for sin! Centuries later Caiaphas provided a classic

example of this very practice. (See Matt. 26:65.)

How easy it is for us to display apparent contrition and repent-

ance without responding in heart to the Lord's appeals! Words can

be very cheap indeed. But the Lord seeks a sincere heart response,

not some mere outward display of piety.

Our part in revival. "There must be earnest effort to obtain the

blessing of the Lord, not because God is not willing to bestow His

blessing upon us, but because we are unprepared to receive it. Our

heavenly Father is more willing to give His Holy Spirit to them

that ask Him, than are earthly parents to give good gifts to their

children. But it is

our work,

confession, humiliation, repentance,

and

earnest prayer,

to fulfill the conditions upon which God has

promised to grant us His blessing."—Selected

Messages,

book 1, p.

121 (italics supplied).

"Conditions," "earnest effort," "our work"—some prefer to

avoid that kind of language. But there it is. If we are to have a

revival of true godliness that alone can fill our most urgent need,

must

meet the conditions.

What results from genuine confession? Prov. 28:13; 1 John 1:9.

"True confession is always of a specific character, and acknowl-

edges particular sins. They may be of such a nature as to be brought

before God only; they may be wrongs that should be confessed to

individuals who have suffered injury through them; or they may be

of a public character, and should then be as publicly confessed. But

all confession should be definite and to the point, acknowledging the

very sins of which you are guilty."—Steps

to Christ,

p. 38.

In what ways does confessing our sins relate to revival, refor-

mation, and the concept of true fasting? How can the confession

of sins improve your life?

TICS



— January 7

THE PROPER PERSPECTIVE (Joel 2:13, 14).

In Joel 2:12-14, the prophet calls for true repentance and

humility. What did Jesus and Paul teach along the same lines?

Matt. 23:12; Phil. 2:5-8.

God does not want to embarrass or humiliate us. On the con-

trary, He wants us to have a sense of joy in what we can become

and through Him.

The kind of humility God desires on our part is

that which puts self in proper perspective and reaches out in

lovingkindness to help those about us.

Trust God, distrust self.

"If we are intent upon searching our

own hearts, putting away our sins, and correcting our evil tenden-

cies, our souls will not be lifted up unto vanity; we shall be dis-

trustful of ourselves, having an abiding sense that our sufficiency

is of God."

"Alas, what pride is prevailing in the church, what hypocrisy,

what deception, what love of dress, frivolity, and amusement,

what desire for the supremacy! All these sins have clouded the

mind, so that eternal things have not been discerned."—Selected

Messages,

book 1, pp. 122, 125.

What do the following references indicate or imply regarding

the place of prayer in revival? Joel 1:14, 15; 2:1 (compare Luke

9:13; 11:13; 1 Thess. 5:17; Heb. 4:16).

Note the kind of prayer that will be effective.

"The church

must arouse to action. The Spirit of God can never come in until

she prepares the way. There should be earnest searching of heart.

There should be united, persevering prayer, and through faith a

claiming of the promises of God. There should be, not a clothing of

the body with sackcloth, as in ancient times, but a deep humilia-

tion of

soul."—Selected Messages,

book 1, p. 126.

What are the results of genuine repentance? Acts 3:19; 2 Cor.

7:10.

What characteristics of God lead Him to bestow special bless-

ings on the repentant sinner? Joel 2:13, 14.

Vediteshir

January 8

LEADERS JEALOUS FOR THE CAUSE (Joel 2:15-17).

For the past three days, we have been studying Joel's call for

repentance. From his plea, we can make a twofold application: (1)

It urges those identified with the world to forsake sin and accept

the Lord; (2) it calls church members to awake from spiritual

lethargy and commit themselves totally to doing God's will in

their lives, as well as to finishing the work He has given the

church. Such revival will naturally lead to reformation.

Although revival and reformation basically must involve in-

dividual work and experience on the part of church members, Joel

2:15-17 demonstrates that leadership also has an important role—

that of calling the people to meet the Lord's challenge and of inter-

cessory ministry for the people at the throne of God.

Where are the gospel watchmen to sound the trumpet? Why

are they to sound it? Joel 2:15.

As the priests in Joel's day were to call all the people of

Jerusalem together in a solemn service, so church leaders today are

to initiate the movement for revival and reformation.

"When God puts His Spirit upon men, they will work. They

will proclaim the word of the Lord; they will lift up their voice like

a trumpet. The truth will not be diminished or lose its power in

their hands. They will show the people their transgressions, and

the house of Jacob their

sins."—Testimonies

to Ministers,

p. 411.

How extensive is to be the gathering of God's people for con-

secration and reformation? Joel 2:16.

What responsibilities do ministers and leaders have in giving

the call to revival and reformation? Joel 2:17.

The sacredness of the ministers' work. "Their work is more

solemn and sacred than ministers generally realize. They should

carry with them a sanctified influence. God requires that those

who minister in sacred things should be men who feel jealous for

His cause. The burden of their work should be the salvation of

souls."—Testimonies,

vol. 3, p. 234.

How can you help your pastor realize his goal of saving souls?

Aurstig-

January 9

A HARVEST OF JOY (Joel 2:17; Psalm 126:5, 6).

Church leaders have the responsibility to cooperate with God in

bringing about the repentance and reformation Joel calls for in

chapter 2, verses 12-17. The corresponding blessings are bountiful.

Review Joel 2:17. Then read Psalm 126:5, 6 to see what

promise God gives concerning the result of weeping.

The ministers' reward.

"As their reward, the faithful under-

shepherds will hear from the Chief Shepherd: 'Well done, good

and faithful servant.' He will then place the crown of glory upon

their heads and bid them enter the joy of their Lord. What is that

joy? It is beholding with Christ the redeemed saints, reviewing

with Him their travail for souls, their self-denial and self-sacrifice,

their giving up of ease, of worldly gain, and every earthly induce-

ment, and choosing the reproach, the suffering, the self-abasement,

the wearing labor, and the anguish of spirit as men would oppose

the counsel of God against their own souls; it is calling to

remembrance the chastening of their souls before God, their weep-

ing between the porch and the altar, and their becoming a spec-

tacle unto the world, to angels, and to men. All this is then ended,

and the fruits of their labors are seen, souls are saved through their

efforts in

Christ."—Testimonies,

vol. 2, p. 709.

"It is now too late in the day for men to please and glorify

themselves. Ministers of God, it is too late to be contending for the

supremacy. The solemn time has come when ministers should be

weeping between the porch and the altar, crying, 'Spare thy

people, 0 Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach' (Joel 2:17).

It is a day when, instead of lifting up their souls in self-sufficiency,

ministers and people should be confessing their sins before God

and one another."—Ellen G. White,

Review and Herald Extra,

Dec.

24, 1899.

You may not be ordained to the gospel ministry, but in what

ways can you say you are a minister?

"Every soul is to minister. He is to use every physical, moral

and mental power, through sanctification of the Spirit, that he may

be a laborer together with God. All are bound to devote them-

selves actively and unreservedly to God's service. They are to

cooperate with Jesus Christ in the great work of helping others."—

Ellen G. White Comments,

SDA Bible Commentary,

vol. 4, p. 1159.

.31

4gis

January 10

FURTHER STUDY: What do the following references add to our

understanding of the Bible teaching of the need for revival? Ps.

85:6-13; Isa. 57:15; Hab. 3:2. (See

Patriarchs and Prophets,

p. 524.)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

What applications would you make to the question at the end

of Joel 2:17, "Wherefore should they say among the people,

Where is their God"?

When the pastor of your church calls for special prayer and

labor for others, how do you respond?

List specific things you can do to bring about revival and

reformation in your church.

When a person who has wronged you or one of your friends

returns to the Lord, what is your attitude to him or her? Do

you forgive and accept this person into your fellowship, or

do you hold yourself aloof? What attitude would Jesus adopt

toward such a person?

SUMMARIZE in your own words God's call to revival and refor-

mation outlined in Joel 2:15-17.

The Euro-Africa Division thanks you for this

evangelistic center your Thirteenth Sabbath Special

Projects Offering in 1987 helped build for the

Muslims in Lyons, France. The Euro-Africa Divi-

sion needs your help again March 28.

Lesson 3

January 12-18

The Early and Latter Rains

SablutILAfternom

READ FOR THIS WEEK'S STUDY: Joel 2:18-32.

MEMORY TEXT: "And it shall come to pass afterward, that

I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and

your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream

dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon

the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I

pour out my spirit" (Joel 2:28, 29).

KEY THOUGHT:

What thrilling promises the Lord has given

us concerning the finishing of His work through the outpouring of

the Holy Spirit in the latter rain! Yet, how indifferent we some-

times are to these glorious promises! How much we need to study

them, meditate upon them, and claim them as ours! The entire uni-

verse is anxiously waiting for us to do so.

WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS FOR THE RECEPTION OF

THE LATTER RAIN?

As the sign that Christ had begun His min-

istry for His people in the heavenly sanctuary, He poured out the

Holy Spirit in the early rain on the day of Pentecost. (See

The Acts

of the Apostles,

pp. 38, 39.)

But if we are willing to let God take over completely in our

lives, then we will have the thrilling privilege of receiving the lat-

ter rain and taking part in giving the loud cry predicted in Revela-

tion 18:1-4.

What must we do to bring about the final outpouring of the Holy

Spirit? This question was addressed long ago by the Lord through

the prophet Joel. Thus the book of Joel is important to us today.

SUlider

January 12

GOD'S PITY AND ZEAL FOR HIS PEOPLE (Joel 2:18-22).

Verse 18 suggests that the priests and people had responded to

God's appeals for revival and reformation.

"The clause reads literally, 'Then Jehovah became jealous.' It is

assumed that the repentance enjoined had taken place."—SDA

Bible Commentary, vol.

4, p. 944. Thus God could give His blessings

as described in verses 18-22. But because Israel did not remain

faithful, the ultimate fulfillment of the promises in Joel 2:19-32 is

reserved for the Christian church.

What promises did God make in Joel 2:18-22 regarding the

people, the invaders, the land, and the animals?

"The Lord will be jealous for his land" (Joel 2:18, NIV). The

Hebrew word translated "jealous" means "to have zeal, to be zeal-

ous." God's jealousy, unlike man's, involves no selfishness. His

jealousy is a loving, zealous desire to bless His people.

"I will send you corn, and wine, and oil" (Joel 2:19). Through-

out the Old Testament corn, wine, and oil are material symbols of

God's spiritual blessings that He gives to His faithful people. God

covenanted to bless His people if they would love and obey Him:

"He will love you, bless you, and multiply you; he will also bless

the fruit of your body and the fruit of your ground, your

grain and

your wine and your oil"

(Deut. 7:13, RSV, italics supplied). If they

turned away from the Lord, a curse would be upon them; the land

would not produce; and the grain, wine, and oil would be cut off.

(See Deut. 28:40, 51; compare Hosea 2:8, 9.)

"I will remove far off from you the northern army" (Joel 2:20).

Most of Israel's enemies came from the north. The Assyrians, the

Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, the Syrians, the Romans,

and the papal crusaders marched into Palestine from the north.

(See Isa. 41:25; Jer. 1:14; 25:9.)

In what ways do you think these promises apply to God's

people today?

The little horn power of Daniel 8 functions till the coming of Jesus:

"By no human hand, he shall be broken" (Dan. 11:25, RSV). Daniel 11

speaks of the same power as "the king of the north" (verse 40): "He

shall come to his end, with none to help him" (verse 45, RSV). Can

you relate Daniel's predictions to those of Joel?

January 13

THE PROMISE OF THE EARLY AND LATTER RAINS (Joel

2:23-29).

How did the Lord restore the material and spiritual prosperity

of His repentant people? Joel 2:23.

In Palestine "the former rain" falls in the autumn (October-

November) when the seed is sown. The latter rain falls in the spring

(March-April), ripening the grain in preparation for the harvest.

"For he hath given you the former rain moderately" (Joel 2:23).

The word translated "moderately" is not present in the Hebrew text.

The word in Hebrew means "for righteousness." Scholars translate

the phrase in different ways. Some translate it "the early rain for

righteousness"; others, "the early rain for your vindication" (RSV);

still others, "a teacher for righteousness" (NIV).

(Note: The word translated "former rain" in the KJV literally

means "teacher." But the same word is used later in the verse to

refer to the former or early rain.)

The teaching of the text is quite similar, whichever translation

you prefer:

"The former rain for righteousness."

Righteousness is rained

from heaven upon God's believing people (Isa. 45:8; Hosea 10:12.)

Throughout Scripture righteousness is bestowed upon the hearts of

believers by the Holy Spirit (Isa. 32:15-17; 44:3; Rom. 8:9, 10). The

early, or former rain represents the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

"The early rain for your vindication."

Vindication, or justifica-

tion, is the work of the Holy Spirit (Ps. 51:10-12; Titus 3:5-7.)

When people are justified, the Holy Spirit is bestowed upon them.

Joel is referring to the forgiveness (involving cleansing and restora-

tion) granted to repentant Israelites.

"The teacher for [of] righteousness."

Every prophet was a

teacher of righteousness, but the supreme Teacher was Jesus Christ.

John the Baptist testified: "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit

and with fire" (Matt. 3:11, NIV). Jesus' teaching is now exercised

through the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit. (See John 16:13-15.)

In what ways were the people of Joel's day blessed by the

restoration of the former and the latter rains? Joel 2:25-27. How

do you know that the Lord is in the midst of His church today?

January 14

LAUNCHING THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH (Joel 2:28, 29; Acts

2:14-18).

The material blessings that came when Israel responded to Joel's

call for repentance showed that their covenant with God was re-

stored. For the land to be restored, the former and latter rains

needed to fall. God sent these rains when the people opened their

hearts to His Spirit. The last phrase of Joel 2:23 reads literally: "the

early rain and the latter rain

at the

first." Verses 24-27 describe the

first

blessings that resulted from the renewed outpouring of the

Spirit upon God's people. Verses 28 and 29 describe the blessings

that would occur

second

or "afterward" (verse 28).

What special manifestation of the spiritual early and latter

rains would occur "afterward"? Joel 2:28, 29.

In the last age, after the greatest Teacher of righteousness had

come, the Holy Spirit would be poured out more completely upon

God's believing people. Joel 2:28, 29 describes the outpouring of

God's Spirit in the former and latter rains of the gospel age.

To what event did the apostle Peter apply Joel 2:28, 29? Acts

2:14-18.

This was the "former rain" that launched the Christian church.

The disciples fulfilled the conditions to receive the former

rain. "As the disciples waited for the fulfillment of the promise,

they

humbled their hearts in true repentance, and confessed their

unbelief."—The

Acts of the Apostles,

pp. 36, 37.

What "former rain" experience does every Christian enjoy?

John 3:5 (compare Rom. 8:9, 14; 1 John 3:24).

"We ask the question, How does the gift already bestowed on

the church become my gift? The simple answer that comes from

the Ephesus experience (Acts 19:1-6) is that it becomes mine when

I receive the resurrected Lord—not as a means to a further end

(e.g., the Holy Spirit), but as

the end

to all my needs and long-

ings."—Jan Paulsen,

When the Spirit Descends

(Washington, D.C.:

Review and Herald, 1977), p. 84.

Itiednesde

anuary

RIPENING GRAIN (Joel 2:28-31).

What indications are there in Joel 2:28-31 that the Holy Spirit

will be poured out just before Christ's return?

Joel's clear purpose was to indicate a final outpouring of the

Spirit shortly before the end of human history. This outpouring is

the "latter rain." Shortly before Jesus' return the "latter rain" will

provide the power of the Holy Spirit for the final preaching of the

three angels' messages.

The latter rain prepares believers for Jesus' return. "The latter

rain, falling near the close of the season, ripens the grain, and pre-

pares it for the sickle. . . . The ripening of the grain represents the

completion of the work of God's grace in the soul. By the power of

the Holy Spirit the moral image of God is to be perfected in the

character. We are to be wholly transformed into the likeness of

Christ. The latter rain, ripening earth's harvest, represents the spir-

itual grace that prepares the church for the coming of the Son of

man. But unless the former rain has fallen, there will be no life."—

Testimonies to Ministers,

p. 506.

What great work is accomplished when the "latter rain" of the

Holy Spirit is poured out? Rev. 18:1-4.

The "glory" of Revelation 18:1 is the glory of Christ's charac-

ter. When His people receive the latter rain, the glory of His

character will be revealed to the world through them. Then, with

unprecedented zeal, they will extend Heaven's final invitation to

lost mankind. (See Rev. 18:4; Matt. 24:14;

Christ's Object Lessons,

p. 415.)

"Thousands of voices will be imbued with the power to speak

forth the wonderful truths of God's Word. The stammering tongue

will be unloosed, and the timid will be made strong to bear coura-

geous testimony to the truth. May the Lord help His people to

cleanse the soul temple from every defilement, and to maintain

such a close connection with Him that they may be partakers of

the latter rain when it shall be poured out."—Ellen G. White Com-

ments,

SDA Bible Commentary,

vol. 6, p. 1055.

What things does God invite us to do in preparation for the

latter rain?

January 16

WONDROUS SIGNS AND DELIVERANCE (Joel 2:30-32).

How are the signs or wonders mentioned in Joel 2:30, 31 inter-

preted in the New Testament verses that follow? Matt. 24:29, 30;

Luke 21:25-27; Rev. 6:12-17.

The signs in the natural world that already have occurred (the

dark day, May 19, 1780; the falling stars, November 13, 1833; and

others) will be repeated immediately before the second coming of

Jesus. The natural phenomena of modern history point to the

reality of the events that surround the coming of the Lord. (See

The

Great Controversy,

pp. 334, 635-637, chap. 40.)

Who will be included in the "remnant" that the Lord promises

to deliver? Joel 2:32.

"In . . . Africa, in the Catholic lands of Europe and of South

America, in China, in India, in the islands of the sea, and in all the

dark corners of the earth, God has in reserve a firmament of

chosen ones that will yet shine forth amidst the darkness, revealing

clearly to an apostate world the transforming power of obedience

to His law. Even now they are appearing in every nation, among

every tongue and people; and in the hour of deepest apostasy.. .

these faithful ones . . . will 'shine as lights in the world.' The

darker the night, the more brilliantly will they

shine."—Evangelism,

pp. 706, 707.

"Then thousands in the eleventh hour will see and acknowledge

the truth. . . . These conversions to truth will be made with a

rapidity that will surprise the church, and God's name alone will

glorified."—Selected Messages,

book 2, p. 16.

What does the above quotation from

Evangelism

tell us about

our feelings regarding people who are different from us in any

way? Is there room for prejudice in the life of a Christian?

Christ lived and died so

every one

could have eternal life. Thus,

to be a Christian means to reach beyond race, gender, and culture

in order to touch the heart of the person. (See Gal. 3:28.)

How should we respond as a church to the statement that

"thousands in the eleventh hour will see and acknowledge the

truth"? How should you respond as an individual?

January 17

FURTHER STUDY:

Read Acts 2, and, if available, the section in

Testimonies to Ministers,

pages 506-512, entitled "Pray for the Latter

Rain."

"Under the figure of the early and the latter rain, that falls in

Eastern lands at seedtime and harvest, the Hebrew prophets

foretold the bestowal of spiritual grace in extraordinary measure

upon God's church. The outpouring of the Spirit in the days of the

apostles was the beginning of the early (or former) rain, and

glorious was the result. To the end of time the presence of the

Spirit is to abide with the true church.

"But near the close of earth's harvest, a special bestowal of

spiritual grace is promised to prepare the church for the coming of

the Son of man. This outpouring of the Spirit is likened to the fall-

ing of the latter rain; and it is for this added power that Christians

are to send their petitions to the Lord of the harvest 'in the time of

the latter rain.' In response, 'the Lord shall make bright clouds,

and give them showers of rain.' He will cause to come down . . .

the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain.' Zechariah 10:1; Joel

2:23.

"But unless the members of God's church today have a living

connection with the Source of all spiritual growth, they will not be

ready for the time of reaping."—The

Acts of the Apostles,

pp. 54, 55.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

How can you have a "living connection with the Source of all

spiritual growth"?

What do you intend to do this week and in the weeks to

come to prepare for the latter rain and the coming of the

Lord?

What do you think you can do to inspire fellow Christians in

your local church to prepare for the latter rain?

SUMMARIZE

below in your own words what you consider to be

the major contribution of this lesson to your understanding of the

latter rain and the finishing of the work.

Lesson 4



January 19-25

Judgment Brings

Deliverance

&Huth ,-Ifterttoott

READ FOR THIS WEEK'S STUDY: Joel 3:1-21.

MEMORY TEXT: "So shall ye know that I am the Lord

your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall

Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass

through her any more" (Joel 3:17).

KEY THOUGHT. How often Christians express the thought

"This world is really in bad shape. I wish the Lord would come

soon and put an end to all this suffering." But the good news of

Joel 3 is that the day of the Lord

near. The deliverance we long

for is soon to take place.

JOEL'S CONCLUSION. This last chapter in the significant book

of Joel begins with a description of God's judgments on the nations

that have rejected His love and opposed His people. Joel predicts

that the time will come when the weak will say, "I am strong"

(verse 10). In the political climate of our world we see a spec-

tacular fulfillment of this prophecy. Even so, the primary applica-

tion is still in the future, when even the weakest nations will join

the confederacy Satan forms against Christ and His people. This

great gathering will lead to the judgment, when the Lord will

thrust in His sickle to reap the harvest of the earth.

The book of Joel concludes by describing the blessed state of God's

people after their deliverance. What God wanted to accomplish for

Israel but could not because of their failure to repent and obey, He

will accomplish for all God's people in the days soon to come.

January 19

WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN (Joel 3:1, 2).

How many of the nations of the earth are involved in the

judgment pictured in Joel 3:1, 2?

There are two possible ways to interpret Joel 3:

First, we can

think of it as a prophecy about what might have been for Israel as

a nation if the people had maintained their relationship with the

Lord, accepted the Messiah, and fulfilled the evangelistic mission

He had for them. Israel would have become the greatest nation on

earth, prospered and protected by God. The unbelieving nations of

earth, opposed to Israel, ultimately would have been destroyed,

Jerusalem would have become the center of the earth, and God's

holy people would have dwelt in perpetual safety.

Because of Israel's failure, the conditional prophecies of her

greatness will now be fulfilled to the Christian church.

God's intention was thwarted.

"As the numbers of Israel in-

creased they were to enlarge their borders, until their kingdom

should embrace the world.

"God desired to bring all peoples under His merciful rule. He

desired that the earth should be filled with joy and peace. He

created man for happiness, and He longs to fill human hearts with

the peace of heaven. . . .

"But Israel did not fulfill God's purpose."—Christ's

Object Les-

sons,

p. 290.

We must interpret Joel 3 in light of New Testament predic-

tions of the end.

Because the "Israel of God" is now the Christian

church (Gal. 6:15, 16), these prophecies will be fulfilled in principle

to the universal people of God. Thus, Tyre, Sidon, and Philistia

(verse 4, NIV) are symbols of all the nations that oppose God's

people toward the end of time. The destruction of Egypt and

Edom (verse 19) symbolizes the destruction of the nations of earth

at the second coming of Jesus and ultimately at the end of the mil-

lennium. The judgment of the nations (verse 12, NIV) refers to the

retribution meted out upon them at the second coming of Jesus

and at the end of the millennium. Judah and Jerusalem represent

the faithful people of God from all ages (verse 20) who will be-

come citizens of the earth made new.

What does the quote from

Christ's Object Lessons,

p. 290, tell

us about God's character?

Iltotivt-



January 20

THE LORD IS ON OUR SIDE (Joel 3:2, 3).

What reasons does Joel give for the judgment pronounced

against the nations? Joel 3:2, 3.

"The word 'Jehoshaphat' means 'the Lord judges' and is ap-

parently a symbolic term, rather than an actual place name. The

language of verses 2-3 indicates that the Lord is strongly on the

side of his people: my people, my heritage, my land, my people.

The Lord has four charges against the nations: they have scattered

Israel, they have divided Israel's land, they have given the people

over into slavery, and they have sold even the young children into

slavery."—James Limburg,

Hosea-Micah, Interpretation

(Atlanta:

John Knox Press, 1988), p. 74.

The Phoenicians and the Philistines were slave traders (Eze.

27:13). They had plundered, persecuted, and enslaved God's

people. But the Lord promised to punish them: "I will swiftly and

speedily return on your own heads what you have done" (Joel 3:4,

NIV).

Toward the end of time the unbelieving nations will persecute

God's people. Inspired by the devil and his demons, unbelievers

will outlaw and boycott God's faithful remnant. In principle, these

attacks against God's people will be the same as those practiced by

the Phoenicians and the Philistines. (See Rev. 12:17; 13:11-17.)

Against whom do earth's nations gather their army? What ac-

tually takes place as they assemble for battle? Joel 3:9-12 (com-

pare Rev. 17:14; 19:11-16; 20:7, 8).

Joel's prophecy parallels John's. The armies that gathered

against Israel represent the nations of earth ranged against last-day

believers. At the second advent of Jesus, these armies are opposed

by Christ and His heavenly hosts. And at the end of the millen-

nium, the wicked multitude, led by his Satanic majesty, assembles

for the final battle. Prior to this battle the great white throne judg-

ment occurs (see Rev. 20:11-15; compare Matt. 25:31-46). Then the

hosts of the unsaved are annihilated.

In Joel 3:4-8, God identifies Himself with His people. How

would you apply these verses to God's interest in us today and

what He plans to do for His people? (Compare Rev. 12:17; 13:7, 8,

15-17.)

lade-

January 21

WORDS OF HOPE (Joel 3:1-16).

What parallels do you see between Joel 3:13 and Revelation

14:17-20?

John tells us that there are two aspects to the harvest:

Revelation 14:14-16 describes symbolically the harvest of the

righteous. Because the former and latter rains have done their

work, the people of God have received Christ's character.

Heavenly angels reap the golden grain.

Revelation 14:17-20 depicts the second harvest, that of the

wicked, symbolized by the gathering of grapes from a vineyard.

They are thrown into "the great wine press of the wrath of God"

(Rev. 14:19). Thus John develops Joel's symbolism of the destruc-

tion of the wicked (Joel 3:13).

At first, Joel 3:1-14 seems quite negative. But for the righteous,

what message of hope do these verses have?

The multitudes in the valley of decision (Joel 3:14) are awaiting

God's decision—the sentence of death from the eternal Judge.

The "signs of the times" in Joel and in

The Great Controversy:

Ref.

Sign

Description

Great

Controversy

2:28

Pouring out of

Spirit

Outpouring of

the latter rain.

611, 612

2:3

Darkness, stars

withdraw their

shining

A dense blackness, deeper

than the darkness of the

night, falls on the earth.

636

2:30, 31

Wonders in earth

and heaven

Signs and wonders follow

in quick succession.

636

3:16

The Lord roars

out of Zion

God's voice pronounces,

"It is done."

636

3:16

Heavens and

earth shake

That voice shakes the

heaven and the earth; there

is a mighty earthquake.

637

Veditcsdg-

January 22

"SO SHALL YE KNOW" (Joel 3:16, 17).

Review yesterday's list of end-time signs from Joel that cor-

respond with the signs outlined in

The Great Controversy.

If ever

there was a time when Seventh-day Adventists needed to watch

and be ready, it is now. According to Bible prophecy, the end is

near. Consequently Satan is trying to confuse the issue by filling

the air with voices that speak all kinds of false prophetic inter-

pretations. Thus he hopes people will believe that Christ's return

really is not all that close.

How do you feel about the nearness of Christ's return? Has

your daily routine lulled you into a Laodicean attitude regarding

this event? Do you think about it with dread, or with eagerness?

What does God promise to do for His people at the time when

the fearful convulsions of nature will be destroying many? Joel

3:16, last part.

The Revised Standard Version translates the sentence: "But the

Lord is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Is-

rael." At the Second Advent, the hated little band of faithful

believers who look up with hope and expectancy are protected

from the convulsions of nature and the desperation of their

enemies. At the end of the millennium, the faithful of all ages are

safely sheltered in the Holy City. The executive judgment has no

fears for those whose trust is in the Lord.

What promises in Psalm 91 apply particularly to God's protec-

tion during the final events of earth's history?

Ask yourself: How can I have the assurance of being sheltered

by the Lord during the time of trouble? What is the basis of my

assurance at this moment?

After promising to be the hope and strength of His people at the

time when the wicked are being destroyed, God says through the

prophet, "So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling

in Zion, my holy mountain" (verse 17). All that has been going on

in heaven since Christ returned there after His resurrection has

pointed toward the grand climax of the great controversy, when

God will deliver His people and establish His kingdom.

7Lis4y--

January 23

A TENDER LOVING NOTE (Joel 3:17-21).

When will the conditions described in Joel 3:17 be fulfilled?

Rev. 21:2-8, 27.

Joel 3:18, 19 applies to the conditions that might have existed if

God's purpose had been fulfilled through the people of Israel.

Since the Israelites never met the conditions upon which these

prophecies were based, the ultimate fulfillment will take place in

the new earth.

How will the prediction in Joel 3:18 that a "fountain shall

come forth of the house of the Lord" be fulfilled? Rev. 22:1.

As is true of most of the prophetic books, Joel ends on a tender,

loving note with a pleasant description of God's people after their

deliverance. Judah and Jerusalem (the faithful of all ages) "shall

dwell for ever" (Joel 3:20).

How can we interpret Joel 3:19 in a manner consistent with

the end-time application of the chapter? Compare Jer. 4:23-28;

Rev. 20:1-3.

Old Testament prophets often described the desolation of the

earth resulting from the destruction that accompanies the day of

the Lord. John's symbolic description of this day (Rev. 19:11-21)

ends with the binding of Satan on this desolate earth.

The desolation of Egypt and Edom, enemies of God's people

(Joel 3:19), would have occurred as described if Israel had fulfilled

its prophetic role. Now the principle remains that the enemies of

Christ and His people will eventually be reduced to ruin and their

land devastated.

The book of Revelation tells us that the devastation will last

for 1,000 years (Rev. 20:1-3),

while the wicked remain dead, and

the righteous cooperate with Christ in a work of judgment in

heaven. At the end of the 1,000 years the wicked are raised, sen-

tenced, and destroyed (Rev. 20:7-10). Then the earth is restored to

its Edenic state (Rev. 21:1).

What do the last two promises found in Joel 3:20, 21 imply?

Compare Rev. 21, 22.

Jider

January 24

FURTHER STUDY: Study the following passages for an under-

standing of what other Bible writers say about the events as-

sociated with the day of the Lord: Isa. 25:9; Jer. 25:33; Zeph. 1:14,

18; Mal. 4:5; Matt. 16:27; 25:32; 2 Peter 3:10-13.

"Soon I heard the voice of God, which shook the heavens and

the earth. There was a mighty earthquake. Buildings were shaken

down on every side. I then heard a triumphant shout of victory,

loud, musical, and clear. I looked upon the company, who, a short

time before, were in such distress and bondage. Their captivity

was turned. A glorious light shone upon them. How beautiful they

then looked! All marks of care and weariness were gone, and

health and beauty were seen in every countenance. Their enemies,

the heathen around them, fell like dead men; they could not en-

dure the light that shone upon the delivered, holy ones. This light

and glory remained upon them, until Jesus was seen in the clouds

of heaven, and the faithful, tried company were changed in a mo-

ment, in the twinkling of an eye, from glory to glory. And the

graves were opened, and the saints came forth, clothed with im-

mortality, crying, 'Victory over death and the grave'; and together

with the living saints they were caught up to meet their Lord in

the air, while rich, musical shouts of glory and victory were upon

every immortal tongue."—Early

Writings,

pp. 272, 273.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Which of the following statements

best describes your spiritual condition?

Like the majority of Joel's contemporaries, you have been

professing to serve God while living contrary to His will.

You have responded positively to God's loving appeals and

have repented of your sins.

Despite all your attempts to maintain a close relationship

with Christ, you find yourself slipping away from Him.

Because you have an ongoing union with Christ, you have

the inner assurance of salvation and look forward joyfully to

the final events of earth's history.

SUMMARY: The book of Joel sounds a clear-ringing trumpet call to

God's people today, as well as to the world as a whole, announcing

that the end of time is upon us. The prophet urgently challenges us

to believe that the day of the Lord is indeed near.

Introduction to the Book of Micah

The messages of the prophet Micah speak in a special way to

professed servants of God who have largely departed from His will

and are in grave danger of being subject to His judgments. Micah

was a younger contemporary of Isaiah, prophesying in the latter half

of the eighth century B.C. during the reigns of three kings of Judah:

Jotham (750-731 B.C), Ahaz (735-715 B.C.), and Hezekiah (729-686

B.C.). Jotham did right in God's sight, although some of his people

did not. (See 2 Kings 15:34, 35.) His son Ahaz was one of the most

wicked kings of Judah. He practiced idol worship, even to the extent

of burning "his children in the fire, after the abominations of the

heathen" (2 Chron. 28:3). Ahaz's son, Hezekiah, served the Lord and

attempted to reverse the downward spiritual trend among his sub-

jects.

Micah ministered at a time when the kings and people of the

northern 10 tribes of Israel were inviting the judgments of God by

filling up the cup of their iniquity. The spiritual and political situation

in the northern state began to disintegrate rapidly in 753 B.C., when

Jeroboam II died. The first appeal in Micah's book was to the people

of Samaria. But they failed to respond, and the Lord allowed them

to be taken captive by the Assyrians in 722 B.C.

The name

Micah

comes from a Hebrew word meaning, "Who is

like Yahweh?" His hometown was Moresheth, or Moresheth-gath

(Micah 1:14), situated about 25 miles southwest of Jerusalem, be-

tween the hills of the Shephelah and the Philistine plain.

Through the prophet Micah, the Lord rebuked the social and

economic injustices that abounded among His people. Grasping

landowners destroyed those less fortunate in the interests of ac-

cumulating greater wealth. The worship of pagan gods was sub-

stituted for the worship of Jehovah. False prophets and apostate

priests served for money and spoke to the people the smooth words

they wanted to hear.

MICAH—DESTRUCTION AND DELIVERANCE

1:1-2:13

3:1-5:15

6:1-16

7:1-20

Hear, All

Nations

Hear, You

Leaders

Hear, My

People

Micah's Reaction

and Response

Transgressions

Outlined

Princes, false

prophets,

priests de-

flounced; restor-

ation promised

Because they do

not listen to

God, they will

be punished

Prophet's soul

"dried up," but

he catches a vision

of restoration

Lesson 5



January 26—February 1

The Nations Challenged;

the Remnant Delivered

Sethititir,

Afternoon

READ FOR THIS WEEK'S STUDY: Micah 1:1-2:13.

MEMORY TEXT: "I will surely assemble, 0 Jacob, all of

thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put

them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the

midst of their fold" (Micah 2:12).

KEY THOUGHT:

God's love for us forces Him to warn us

about the consequences of sin and rebellion. Those who respond to

His warnings will be a part of the remnant.

MICAH DIVIDED HIS MESSAGE INTO THREE SECTIONS.

Each is introduced by the word

Hear.

The first of these (chapter 1,

verse 2) is addressed to all nations. He calls on all to contemplate

the meaning of the coming destruction of Samaria and Jerusalem

and to witness what happens to people who refuse to follow God's

plan.

In the second "Hear" section (chapter 3, verse 1) Micah de-

nounces the specific sins of Israel's princes, false prophets, and

priests. He informs them that they are largely to blame for the

coming judgments.

The third "Hear" (chapter 6, verse 1) calls upon all creation to

bear witness to God's goodness and justice in dealing with His

people.

This week we will study God's first "Hear." We need to put

ourselves into the sandals worn by ancient Israel and determine

whether, by God's grace, we are measuring up individually to the

standard He has set for us.

- January 26

GOD'S DISPLEASURE AGAINST SAMARIA AND JUDAH

(Micah 1:1-5).

"With unerring accuracy the Infinite One still keeps account

with the nations. While His mercy is tendered, with calls to repen-

tance, this account remains open; but when the figures reach a cer-

tain amount which God has fixed, the ministry of His wrath

begins. The account is closed. Divine patience ceases. Mercy no

longer pleads in their

behalf."—Prophets and Kings,

p. 364.

What indications can you find in Micah 1:2-4 that God's first

"Hear" is addressed to all nations, as well as to Israel and Judah?

Micah addresses the peoples of Israel (the northern tribes) and

Judah directly. But Micah 1:2-4 is strikingly similar to descriptions

of the Second Coming given elsewhere in Scripture. God has sum-

moned the nations to hear how He intends to bring retribution

upon the unfaithful. Micah's message has an end-time application.

According to the book of Revelation, what natural phenomena

will mark the second coming of Jesus? Rev. 16:18-21. See

The

Great Controversy,

chap. 40, pp. 636, 637.

Why was God constrained to punish Israel and Judah? Micah

1:5.

" 'This time the Lord is not coming to answer the prayers of a

people in need (cf. Isa. 64); this coming is occasioned by Israel's sin

and transgression. In fact, the prophet uses these words to describe

his task, 'to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin'

(3:8).

" 'But why should this be?' those hearing these words would

ask. What wrongdoing could bring about such a terrifying inter-

vention of the Lord? Verse 5 gives a partial hint: The wrongdoing

is centered in the capital cities of both the north and the south."—

Limburg,

Hosea-Micah,

p. 166.

Why do large cities usually become centers of rebellion

against God? What can Christians do to warn and win the in-

habitants of the world's large cities? What kind of evangelistic

enterprise do you believe would be effective in these cities?

—

January 27

THE FALL OF SAMARIA (Micah 1:6-8).

What graphic picture is given of the fall of Samaria? Micah

1:6, 7.

The New International Version translates verse 7: " 'All her

idols will be broken to pieces; all her temple gifts will be burned

with fire; I will destroy all her images. Since she gathered her gifts

from the wages of prostitutes, as the wages of prostitutes they will

again be used.' "

The citizens of Samaria commonly committed immorality,

idolatry, and false piety. Without sitting in judgment on those

who are afflicted by these sins today, how can we cooperate with

the Lord in redeeming them?

Introduce them to Christ. "Keep before the people the cross of

Calvary. Show what caused the death of Christ—the transgression

of the law. Let not sin be cloaked or treated as a matter of little

consequence. It is to be presented as guilt against the Son of God.

Then point the people to Christ, telling them that immortality

comes only through receiving Him as their personal Saviour. . . .

"Lead them to behold Christ in His loveliness; then they will

turn from everything that would draw their affections away from

Him. This is the principle of the Saviour's dealing with men; it is

the principle that must be brought into the

church."—Testimonies,

vol. 6, p. 54.

What was Micah's personal reaction to Samaria's tragedy?

Micah 1:8.

In verses 5-7 Micah quotes God. In verse 8 he switches to his

own reaction. Such transitions are typical of the minor prophets.

By indicating his personal reaction to the punishment, Micah at-

tempts to arouse Israel to the consequences that will follow if they

persist in their rebellion. The word

naked may

mean "half-clad."

Micah's physical appearance revealed a breaking heart because of

the sin and destruction of his people.

Have you

ever

wept over the spiritual degeneracy, perversion,

and crime in the large cities of our world? How do you feel as

you consider the condition of unbelievers? How can we develop

a genuine burden for the lost?

TiCS



January 28

THE PATH OF A CONQUEROR (Micah 1:6-16; 2:1, 2).

Consider the destruction that Micah predicted would come

upon the cities of Judah because of their sins. Micah 1:6-16.

"The prophet describes the path of a conqueror (v. 15) rolling

southward through the small towns and cities which serve as

Jerusalem's defense network. These words find their fulfillment in

Sennacherib's campaign of the late 700's B.C., when his armies did

proceed to the gate of Jerusalem (II Kings 18:13-16). The roll call of

the cities ends with a call to join the prophet in mourning, because

the hearers are going to see their own children deported from their

land (v. 16)."—James Limburg,

Hosea-Micah,

p. 167.

Micah 1:16 may be translated: "Shave your heads in mourning

for the children in whom you delight; make yourselves as bald as

the vulture, for they will go from you into exile" (NIV).

Before we move on to chapter 2, review chapter 1. What does

this chapter tell you about God? How can we be more responsive

to His loving concern?

Some of the sins for which the cities of Judah would be con-

demned included grave social injustices. Micah speaks against

these injustices, including the oppression of the poor, that charac-

terized his age. When the people protested against his denuncia-

tions, Micah demonstrated how gross their sins were.

What particular sin of His people does God denounce? Micah

2:1, 2.

"Woe to those who plan iniquity, to those who plot evil on their

beds! At morning's light they carry it out because it is in their

power to do it" (Micah 2:1, NIV).

Wealth became such an obsession to Micah's countrymen that

instead of sleeping at night they lay awake hatching their evil

schemes. They had accepted the worldly principle that might is

right. They replaced the golden rule (Matt. 7:12) with the saying,

"Do unto others, before they do unto you."

In what ways do the attitudes and actions of some people

today parallel those of Micah's countrymen?

Vabiesdair



January 29

INHERITING THE EARTH (Micah 2:3-6).

Our obligation to others. "The Jews had been concerned about

what they should receive; the burden of their anxiety was to secure

what they thought their due of power and respect and service. But

Christ teaches that our anxiety should not be, How much are we to

receive? but, How much can we give? The standard of our obliga-

tion to others is found in what we ourselves would regard as their

obligation to

us."—Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing,

p. 134.

How does God plan to deal with the evildoers? Micah 2:3-5.

The sins of Judah resulted in the withdrawal of divine blessing

and protection. Thus God permitted their enemies to do to them

the very things they had been doing to others. Invaders conquered

their lands and plundered their possessions.

Micah 2:5 may be translated: "Therefore you will have no one

in the assembly of the Lord to divide the land by lot" (NIV).

"Micah informs the oppressor that because he has dealt unjustly

with his neighbor's land he will have no more an inheritance in

Israel."—SDA

Bible Commentary,

vol. 4, p. 1017.

Who will ultimately be the landowners? Jesus said, "Blessed

are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth" (Matt. 5:5). Those

who are humble, gentle, unselfish, and unobtrusive as Jesus was

are those who will enjoy the blessings and privileges of the earth

made new. (See Isa. 65:22.)

What message did false prophets give who were trying to

counteract Micah's influence? Micah 2:6.

We cannot afford to ignore sin. A woman noticed a few bees

buzzing around the attic of her home. But she didn't mind, be-

cause there were only a few. She remained unconcerned

throughout the summer even though more and more bees flew in

and out of the attic vent. But the entire attic became a huge hive.

Finally the ceiling of her second-floor bedroom caved in.

We ignore sin only to risk having the ceiling cave in on us from

the weight of accumulated sweet-smelling vices.

In this age of materialism, what do you have of lasting value

to offer the world?

— —

January 30

GOD'S TRUE CHARACTER (Micah 2:7-13).

What questions did Micah and God use to correct the concept

of the Deity held by the Israelites? Micah 2:7.

The New International Version translates the verse: "Should it

be said, 0 house of Jacob: 'Is the Spirit of the Lord angry? Does he

do such things?' Do not my words do good to him whose ways

are upright?' "

"Here, the prophet chides those who accuse the Lord of being

impatient because He gives way to threatening His people. This is

not so, for God has ever been long-suffering in His dealings with

Israel. However, when men sin they must expect to reap the

results of their evildoing (Ex. 34:6,

7)."—SDA

Bible Commentary,

vol.

4, p. 1018.

The Lord's question reveals His true character. " 'Do not my

words do good to him whose ways are upright?' " (Micah 2:7,

NIV). The psalmist beautifully emphasized the point, describing

the unfailing willingness of God to forgive and restore in a spirit of

infinite compassion. (See Ps. 103:8-14.)

What additional charges does God make in order to clarify

His case? Micah 2:8-11.

How would you convince a person who is bitter against God

that He loves and cares? What steps would you take to change

the attitudes of this person?

What does the Lord promise to do for the faithful minority?

Micah 2:12, 13.

God usually follows His strong warnings and denunciations

with promises of restoration for those willing to repent. The New

International Version translates these verses: " 'I will surely gather

all of you, 0 Jacob; I will surely bring together the remnant of

Israel. I will bring them together like sheep in a pen, like a flock in

its pasture; the place will throng with people. One who breaks

open the way will go up before them; they will break through the

gate and go out. Their king will pass through before them, the

Lord at their head' " (Micah 2:12, 13, NIV; compare John 10:11).

Liider

January 31

FURTHER STUDY:

Study Micah's references to "the remnant." In

the spaces provided below indicate how these references might

apply to the remnant mentioned in Revelation 12:17.

2:12



4:7



5:7, 8



7:18



DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

Are there sins in your life that you need to confess and for-

sake? What will be the consequences of not doing so now?

In what practical ways can you respond to God's love and

cooperate with His plan for your life?

SUMMARY:

Micah confronts the professed people of God with

the consequences of continuing in sin. In graphic language he

shows the coming of the Lord to provide retribution for the faith-

less and deliverance for the faithful remnant.

Your Thirteenth Sabbath Special Projects

Offering in 1987 helped build this girls' dormi-

tory in Bogenhofen, Austria. Remember the

Euro-Africa Division again March 28.

Lesson 6

February 2-8

Leaders Challenged

Sabha* ,Afterttoott

READ FOR THIS WEEK'S STUDY: Micah 3:1-12.

MEMORY TEXT: "But truly I am full of power by the spirit

of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto

Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin" (Micah 3:8).

KEY THOUGHT.

Those called to be leaders in any aspect of

church life face the special challenge of setting an example for

those whom they are leading. The spiritual tone of the church is to

a great extent determined by the spiritual life of its leadership.

LEADERSHIP IS NOT RULERSHIP.

Those appointed to

leadership in the church should not see themselves serving the

same roles as authority figures in the secular world. The church

has one head Jesus Christ. (See Eph. 4:15; Col. 1:18; 2:19.) With

such an all-wise Leader, who sees the end from the beginning, the

church has an advantage over any earthly organization. Human

authority in the church is to be subservient to the will and leader-

ship of Christ.

"Those who have the spiritual oversight of the church should

devise ways and means by which an opportunity may be given to

every member of the church to act some part in God's work. . . . Plans

have not been clearly laid and fully carried out whereby the talents of

all might be employed in active service. There are but few who real-

ize how much has been lost because of this. . . . In their planning they

are to give special study to the work that can be done by the laity for

their friends and

neighbors."—Testimonies,

vol. 9, pp. 116, 117.

SW*1



February 2

NO ANSWER FROM GOD (Micah 3:1-4).

What kind of ignorance on the part of Israel's leaders resulted

in their mistreatment of the people? Micah 3:1.

The Hebrew word

translated "judgment" in the King James

Version also means "the act of deciding a case," and "justice." Be-

cause the leaders of Israel lacked righteousness of heart, they were

not able to decide cases in a just manner. They allowed political

and economic considerations to sway their judgment.

How did Micah describe the manner in which Israel's leaders

treated the people under their care? Micah 3:2, 3.

Symbolically speaking, the leaders and false prophets tore the

people apart. They treated them like butchered animals that were

prepared for the boiling pot. Imagine the devastating emotional,

spiritual, and economic impact of the rulers' unjust actions.

Does there ever come a time when the Lord refuses to hear

and answer prayer? Micah 3:4; Ps. 66:18.

'But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave

heed when I stretched out my hand, since you ignored all my ad-

vice and would not accept my rebuke, I in turn will laugh at your

disaster. . . . Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they

will look for me but will not find me. Since they hated knowledge

and did not choose to fear the Lord, . . . they will eat the fruit of

their ways' " (Prov. 1:24-31, NIV).

Sin silences the Spirit's voice.

"Let none deceive themselves

with the belief that God will pardon and bless them while they are

trampling upon one of His requirements. The willful commission

of a known sin silences the witnessing voice of the Spirit, and

separates the soul from God. Whatever may be the ecstasies of

religious feeling, Jesus cannot abide in the heart that disregards the

divine

law."—Messages to Young People,

114.

Has there ever been a time (perhaps now) when the Lord

seemed not to answer your prayers? Do you think it was (or now

is) because of a sin you didn't (or won't) give up?

February 3

A PASSION FOR JUSTICE (Micah 3:5-8).

Why is it important to have an organized church directed by

appointed leaders? Consider the situation in the apostolic

church. Titus 1:5 (compare Acts 6:1-7; 14:23).

" 'God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all

churches of the saints.' 1 Corinthians 14:33. He requires that order

and system be observed in the conduct of church affairs today no

less than in the days of old. He desires His work to be carried

forward with thoroughness and exactness so that He may place

upon it the seal of His approval. Christian is to be united with

Christian, church with church, the human instrumentality co-

operating with the divine, every agency subordinate to the Holy

Spirit, and all combined in giving to the world the good tidings of

the grace of God."—The

Acts of the Apostles,

p. 96.

Summarize in your own words the corrupt practice that Micah

3:5 condemns.

False prophets.

Micah "makes it plain that his motivation is not

personal animosity nor a difference of opinion on the human level.

He stresses that the source of his authority lies beyond himself. He

claims to be the true representative of the divine purpose and the

mouthpiece of God himself, merely transmitting the message he

has received. Micah turns this prophetic weapon against those ac-

knowledged to be

prophets

themselves. What an indictment that

practitioners of God's will must be designated as opposed to God's

true intent! He continues in the same vein: far from declaring the

truth about God and their society, as prophets should, they mis-

lead the people and misrepresent God's real messages for them.

The people are left no nearer God than before they inquired of his

word." —Leslie C. Allen,

The New International Commentary on the

Old Testament, on Micah

(Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans

Publishing Co., 1976), pp. 310, 311.

It is possible to assume hastily that because leaders today are

sinners who make mistakes, therefore these leaders are rejected

by God. That argument is highly judgmental and thoroughly un-

charitable. Supposing our faults, failings, sins, and mistakes

were as obvious to all in the church as are those of our leaders,

would we appear more righteous than they?

February 4

MESSAGES FROM GOD? (Micah 3:6-8).

What will happen to those who claim to have light but in

reality expose the darkness of their own understanding? Micah

3:6, 7.

Jesus warned that false prophets in the last days will, if possible,

"deceive the very elect" (Matt. 24:24).

"As professed teachers from God come to us declaring that they

have a message from God, it is proper to inquire carefully, How do

we know that this is truth? . . . We need not be deceived; for the

Word of God gives us a test whereby we may know what is truth.

The prophet says, 'To the law and to the testimony: if they speak

not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them'

(Isa.

8:20)."—Selected Messages,

book 2, p. 99.

The false prophets followed "their own spirit" (Eze. 13:3). In

contrast, what spirit directed Micah? Micah 3:8.

Note how these same characteristics apply to the prophetic gift

given Ellen White:

•

Power given by the Holy Spirit. "When I am speaking to the

people I say much that I have not premeditated. The Spirit of the

Lord frequently comes upon me. I seem to be carried out of, and

away from,

myself."—Testimonies,

vol. 5, p. 20.

•

Judgment. "In the testimonies I bear, I am presenting to you

that which the Lord has presented to me. . . . They are what God

has opened before me in vision—the precious rays of light shining

from the

throne."—Selected Messages,

book 1, p. 27.

•

Courage to Denounce Sin. "God has set me as a reprover of

His people. . . . I have not chosen this unpleasant labor for myself.

. . . In the name and strength of my Redeemer I shall do what I

can. . . . My duty is not to please myself, but to do the will of my

heavenly Father, who has given me my

work."—Testimonies,

vol. 5,

pp. 679, 680.

How seriously do you treat the counsels of God's prophets?

What place in your thinking do you give to the messages of Ellen

G. White?

February 5

THE CITY

CITY DESTROYED (Micah 3:9-12).

What specific charge does God make against the priests?

Micah 3:11.

"The money-mad priests received gifts beyond their regular

support (Num. 18:20-24) and doubtless provided instruction

favorable to the generous inquirer. Thus these apostate priests cor-

rupted their sacred office by making it a means of securing

gain."—SDA

Bible Commentary,

vol. 4, p. 1021.

What would happen to Jerusalem because of its leaders' cor-

ruption? Micah 3:12.

"According to Jer. 26:17-19 the prophecy was given in the days of

Hezekiah. The prediction was literally fulfilled in 586 B.C."—SDA

Bible Commentary, vol.

4, p. 1021. The punishment pronounced on

Judah's leaders would fit the crime. Because they had taken land by

fraud, God would take the land away from them.

The leaders showed their ignorance of both God's love and His

justice by claiming that no evil could befall them no matter what

they did, since they were His children. This attitude is seen today

among those who claim that, once they have given themselves to

God, He is bound to save them no matter what they do.

Even after the return from captivity, the priests fell into

similar corrupt habits. How was their spiritual lack manifested?

Mal. 1:7-10.

Malachi lists the things the priests were doing:

1:7—Offering polluted bread.

1:8—Offering blind, lame, and sick sacrifices.

1:10—Asking pay for the slightest services, such as shutting the

temple door or kindling a fire on the altar.

1:12—Saying that the Lord's table is polluted and that the offer-

ings were contemptible.

1:13—Showing contempt and boredom toward the Lord's serv-

ice.

1:14—Sacrificing a corrupt thing.

2:8—Departing out of the way. Causing many to stumble at the

law. Corrupting the covenant of Levi.

2:9—Being partial in matters of the law.

February 6

WHAT ABOUT TODAY?

According to Paul, ministers have a special responsibility to

be good examples of the truths they teach. What do the texts that

follow indicate about this duty?

2 Cor. 4:1, 2



2 Cor. 6:3, 4



1 Tim. 3:2-7



1 Tim. 4:12



Titus 2:7, 8



The New International Version translates Titus 2:7, 8 this way:

"In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In

your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech

that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be

ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us."

When a person dedicates himself or herself to Christ, that per-

son represents Christ to the world.

The power of influence. "There is an eloquence far more pow-

erful than the eloquence of words in the quiet, consistent life of a

pure, true Christian. What a man is has more influence than what

he says. . . .

"It is our own character and experience that determine our influ-

ence upon others. In order to convince others of the power of Christ's

grace, we must know its power in our own hearts and lives. . . . Only

through a living faith in Christ as a personal Saviour is it possible to

make our influence felt in a skeptical world..

"The badge of Christianity is not an outward sign, not the wear-

ing of a cross or a crown, but it is that which reveals the union of

man with God. By the power of His grace manifested in the trans-

formation of character the world is to be convinced that God has

sent His Son as its Redeemer. No other influence that can surround

the human soul has such power as the influence of an unselfish

life. The strongest argument in favor of the gospel is a loving and

lovable Christian."—The

Ministry of Healing,

pp. 469, 470.

How would you assess your influence on those around you?

What evidence do you have that they are attracted to Christ by

knowing you?

February 7

FURTHER STUDY:

Study these Bible counsels concerning min-

isters and leaders: Isa. 52:11; 62:10; Matt. 25:21; Rom. 10:15; 2 Tim.

4:2; Heb. 5:4; 1 Peter 5:2.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

Has God called you to be a leader in His church? If so, are

you setting a good example?

If you have not been chosen to fill a leadership position, are

you praying for and supporting actively those He has placed

in such positions?

What have you learned from your study of this section of

Micah concerning God's attitude toward fraud and corrup-

tion?

Do you think that God looks any more favorably upon those

who reject His message today than He did upon those who

rejected Micah's message?

"If God has given me a message to bear to His people,

those who would hinder me in the work and lessen the faith

of the people in its truth are not fighting against the instru-

ment, but against God. 'It is not the instrument whom you

slight and insult, but God, who has spoken to you in these

warnings and reproofs.' It is hardly possible for men to offer

a greater insult to God than to despise and reject the in-

strumentalities that He has appointed to lead them.'

"—Tes-

timonies,

vol. 5, p. 680.

In light of this week's lesson, how should we react when we

see thousands of people following an eloquent, charismatic

preacher? Is his success with the public necessarily an indica-

tion that he has the truth? Is the warm feeling that his elo-

quence creates necessarily from God?

SUMMARY:

Leaders in the church, including lay leaders, are

undershepherds of the True Shepherd. They must represent Him

aright by showing the same love, concern, unselfishness, and

dedication to service that characterized Christ's ministry on earth.

Micah's strong denunciations against the corrupt leadership of his

day challenge us to consider carefully the fact that God expects

church leaders to set a good example.

Lesson 7



February 9-15

Promises of Hope

Sthkith

„Afternoon

READ FOR THIS WEEK'S STUDY: Micah 4:1-5:15.

MEMORY TEXT: "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though

thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee

shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel;

whose goings forth have been from of old, from ever-

lasting" (Micah 5:2).

KEY THOUGHT: In the final hours of peril and crisis God will

not fail His church. In light of His faithfulness to us, what should

be our determination?

PROMISED RESTORATION FOR THE CHRISTIAN

CHURCH. Micah 3:12 predicted Jerusalem's destruction: "There-

fore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem

shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high

places of the forest." This destruction came when the Babylonians

invaded Palestine (586 B.C.) The glorious promises of restoration

described in Micah 4 and 5 would also have been fulfilled for the

nation of Israel if the people had been true to their covenant

relationship with God. Jerusalem would have become the center of

the earth from which the Messiah would have ruled.

But these predictions were conditional upon Israel's cooperation

with God's plan and their acceptance of the Messiah. Thus, be-

cause they rejected Christ, the prophecies never were fulfilled to

Israel in the ultimate sense. However, the unfulfilled portions of

these prophecies point to a fulfillment yet to take place for God's

remnant people who are preparing for Christ's second coining.

February 9

GOD'S KINGDOM CENTERED IN JERUSALEM (Micah 4:1-5).

What special honor was God to bestow upon Jerusalem "in

the last days"? Micah 4:1, 2.

"When David transferred the ark into his new capital, Zion be-

came the name especially of the place where God dwelt. Conse-

quently the name Zion was used to refer to the northeastern hill

after Solomon had built his Temple there and moved the ark into it

(Is 2:3; 8:18; etc.). Occasionally, however, the name Zion seems to

be applied to the whole city (chs 33:20; 60:14), or even to the whole

nation of Israel (Is 40:9; Zec 9:13)."—SDA

Bible Dictionary,

s.v.

"Zion."

If Israel had fulfilled her prophetic role in cooperation with the

Messiah, she would have become the leading nation of earth. Note

the similarity of Isaiah's prediction in Isaiah 2:1-4.

Because of Israel's failure, what end-time events will now ful-

fill Micah's prediction? Rev. 14:1; 15:2-4; 21:1-4.

"Mount Zion" is identified in the New Testament as "the heav-

enly Jerusalem" (Heb. 12:22). This is described as the place where

the names of born-again Christians are enrolled (verse 23). It is the

place where Jesus, our High Priest, is mediating the benefits of His

sacrifice for us (verse 24). When Jesus comes the second time, His

redeemed people are translated to Mount Zion, where they receive

their eternal reward for faithfulness to Him.

What will be the social, political, economic, and spiritual con-

dition of God's people when Zion is exalted at the end of time?

Micah 4:3-5.

Notice that the New Jerusalem will be the great center of

God's government, which will be based on His universal law.

This law will be the eternal standard of righteousness for the

people of God.

Since the law of God is to be the basis of world government

after the second coming of Jesus, what should be our attitude to

that law now? Can you think of aspects of God's law that you

are not honoring by the manner in which you live? What means

has God provided to enable us to be true to His law?

February 10

RESTORATION AFTER CAPTIVITY (Micah 4:6-11).

Who are mentioned as receiving special blessings when God's

people are restored? Micah 4:6-8.

In Micah 4:6, 7, "her that halteth" (KJV), "the lame" (RSV), refer

to those in Israel who had followed the Lord haltingly. Because

they did not walk firmly, briskly, and decisively in His ways, He

allowed them to be taken into captivity. They were "driven out"

(verse 6), "cast far off" (verse 7). They suffered the misery of sepa-

ration from their own land, alienation from the privileges of na-

tional independence. But in the restoration, God would bring the

repentant ones back to the Promised Land.

The ultimate restoration spoken of in Micah 4:8 could not be

fulfilled for literal Israel, because, after their return from Babylon-

ian captivity, they did not continue to walk in God's way. The

"first dominion" may have referred to the glory of the realm dur-

ing the reigns of David and Solomon. But in the ultimate sense, the

first dominion is that which was lost when our first parents fell

into sin. (See Ps. 8:6.) This dominion will be restored when the

earth is made new at the end of the millennium. (See Revelation

21,22.)

God's original plan will be restored. "The time has come, to

which holy men have looked with longing since the flaming sword

barred the first pair from Eden—the time for the 'redemption of

the purchased possession.' Ephesians 1:14. The earth originally

given to man as his kingdom, betrayed by him into the hands of

Satan, and so long held by the mighty foe, has been brought back

by the great plan of redemption. All that was lost by sin has been

restored. . . . God's original purpose in the creation of the earth is

fulfilled as it is made the eternal abode of the redeemed. 'The righ-

teous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein forever.' Psalm

37:29."—The

Great Controversy,

p. 674.

Notice what would happen to Judah before her deliverance

could come. Micah 4:9-11. What would happen to her kings?

Jehoiachin (2 Kings 24:12, 15); Zedekiah (2 Kings 25:2-7).

What character qualifications do you think a person should

have who wishes to be part of the great restoration of which

Micah wrote? (See Matt. 24:45-51; 1 Peter 1:13-19.)

37estley-

February 11

WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN (Micah 4:11-13).

Had Israel been faithful, what would have been her position

among the nations? Micah 4:11-13.

The Jews were taken captive to Babylon. Were they delivered as

promised in Micah 4?

"A partial fulfillment of this prediction took

place evidently in 536 B.C. under Cyrus (see Ezra 1:1-4; Jer. 29:10)

and subsequently under Artaxerxes. However, the returnees were

not the spiritually revived people that the discipline of the Exile and

the instruction of the prophets were designed to produce. Conse-

quently the glorious prospect pictured in Micah 4:1-8 was not real-

ized by those who returned to the land of Judah after the Babylonian

Exile."—SDA

Bible Commentary,

vol. 4, p. 1023.

Verses 11-13 deal specifically with what might have been if the

returned exiles had done what God wanted them to do. The sur-

rounding nations would have been defeated, and their riches would

have been used to advance God's truth and work in the world.

Application to our day.

"The present is a time of overwhelming

interest to all living. Rulers and statesmen, men who occupy posi-

tions of trust and authority, thinking men and women of all classes,

have their attention fixed upon the events taking place about us.

They are watching the relations that exist among the nations. They

observe the intensity that is taking possession of every earthly ele-

ment, and they recognize that something great and decisive is about

to take place—that the world is on the verge of a stupendous crisis.

"The Bible, and the Bible only, gives a correct view of these

things. Here are revealed the great final scenes in the history of our

world, events that already are casting their shadows before, the

sound of their approach causing the earth to tremble and men's

hearts to fail them for fear. . . .

"[Micah 4:10-12 quoted]. God will not fail His church in the

hour of her greatest peril. He has promised deliverance. . . .

"Then will the purpose of God be fulfilled; the principles of His

kingdom will be honored by all beneath the

sun."—Prophets and

Kings,

pp. 537, 538.

How do you think God's people today can apply the symbolic

instruction of Micah 4:13? In what practical ways can we "arise

and thresh" in our homes, our workplaces, our churches, our

neighborhoods? How does Jesus' instruction relate to that of

Micah? (See Matt. 28:19, 20.)

MaksJaw-



February 12

THE MESSIAH'S FIRST AND SECOND ADVENTS (Micah 5:1-

15).

What words in Micah 5:1,2 may apply prophetically to the

coming Messiah? Compare Micah 5:1 with Matt. 26:67, 68.

The New International Version translates Micah 5:1: "Marshal

your troops, 0 city of troops, for a siege is laid against us. They will

strike Israel's ruler on the cheek with a rod." Jerusalem's enemies

would besiege the city and insult the king. (Compare Job 16:10.)

The ultimate insult to Israel's Ruler was that given to Christ

during His trial. In light of verse 2, we may think of the latter part

of Micah 5:1 as a Messianic prophecy. Because Rome controlled

Judea and Jerusalem, she was partly responsible for the insult paid

to the world's Messiah.

When the wise men from the East asked Herod where the

Messiah was to be born, what enabled him to give them the cor-

rect answer? Matt. 2:5, 6; Micah 5:2.

"The focus is now upon 'Bethlehem Ephrathah.' Ephrathah is

the name of the clan of people who lived in the area of Bethlehem;

the family of Elimelech and Naomi are described as 'Ephrathites

from Bethlehem' (Ruth 1:2; see also 1 Sam. 17:12). The double iden-

tification is necessary to distinguish the town from Bethlehem in

Zebulon (Josh. 19:15). The New Testament remembers the Beth-

lehem of these times as a 'village' (John 7:42) . . . Bethlehem had a

fame of its own, however, as the home of Jesse, David's father, and

the birthplace of that greatest of the kings of Israel (1 Sam. 17:12).

The coming ruler will be from Bethlehem; in other words, that

ruler will be a new David. The same idea is expressed in Isaiah

11:1."—James Limburg,

Hosea—Micah: Interpretation,

p. 186.

The eternal preexistence of Christ. The last phrase of Micah 5:2

translates literally, "from the days of eternity." The spiritual leaders

of Israel knew that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem. A little

investigation of the circumstances of His birth would have revealed

to them that Jesus was that God-man. Jesus Himself claimed Deity

and eternal preexistence. (See John 5:17, 18; 8:58, 59.)

By comparing Scripture with the circumstances of Christ's

birth, the Israelites could have known that Jesus was the Mes-

siah. What does this say to us about the importance of the Bible?

February 13

GOD'S NEW

NEW WORLD (Micah 5:3-15).

Pick out words or phrases in Micah 5:3-5 that apply to aspects

of the life and work of the Messiah who was to come.

What does Assyria represent?

"At the time of Micah's proph-

ecy Assyria was Israel's principal foe, a sinister threat to her exis-

tence (2 Kings 18; 19). Inasmuch as the Messianic age is under dis-

cussion here, Assyria doubtless represents those nations that

would have opposed the thriving nation of restored Israel."—SDA

Bible Commentary,

vol. 4, p. 1025.

Today Assyria represents those peoples who oppose the onward

progress of the gospel message.

What did God expect Israel to be and do if they accepted the

Messiah when He came? Micah 5:7-15.

This would have been accomplished through the spiritual

strength provided by their relationship with the unconquerable Mes-

siah. In spite of their past defeats, God's people would have had un-

failing hope for the future. Horses and chariots were used during

war. Notice what God said about these symbols of force in other Old

Testament scriptures. (See Deut. 17:16; 20:1-4; Isa. 2:7; Zech 9:9, 10.)

All the fortifications, principalities and powers, false gods, and

relics of paganism that people depended on for establishing

earthly power and conquering others would have no use or mean-

ing in God's new world.

How would you apply Micah 5:10-15 to our situation today? In

response to the Lord's appeal to Israel, what about your life should

you discard in order to prepare for the Messiah's second coming?

What attitudes or possessions stand between you and Christ?

"We are never called upon to make a real sacrifice for God.

Many things He asks us to yield to Him, but in doing this we are

but giving up that which hinders us in the heavenward way. Even

when called upon to surrender those things which in themselves

are good, we may be sure that God is thus working out for us

some higher good.

"In the future life the mysteries that here have annoyed and disap-

pointed us will be made plain. We shall see that our seemingly unan-

swered prayers and disappointed hopes have been among our great-

est blessings."—The

Ministry of Healing,

pp. 473, 474.

February 14

FURTHER STUDY: Compare the following Old Testament proph-

ecies of the Messiah and His work with their New Testament ful-

fillment:

OT PROPHECY

Isa. 7:14

Isa. 61:1-3

Isa. 53:3

Zech. 9:9

Zech. 11:12

Ps. 22:1

Isa. 53:9

Ps. 16:10

Ps. 68:18

ITEM

Virgin birth

His work

His rejection

Triumphal entry

Price for which sold

Words on cross

Burial with rich

Resurrection

Ascension

FULFILLMENT

Matt. 1:18-23

Luke 4:16-21

John 1:10, 11

Matt. 21:1-11

Matt. 26:14-16

Matt. 27:46

Matt. 27:57-60

Acts 2:30, 31

Eph. 4:8

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: How does what I have studied

apply to:

Me individually?



My family and friends?



My church?



SUMMARY: Micah 4 presents promises of restoration that apply

to spiritual Israel as well as to ancient Israel. Micah 5 not only

predicts the coming of the Messiah but also forecasts the destruc-

tion of the wicked and the universal peace that would follow if the

Jews would accept Christ. Although the Jewish nation rejected

Him, the promises contained in these chapters apply in principle

to all Christian believers today—both Jews and Gentiles. We have

the blessed hope that soon the earth is to be made new.

Lesson 8

—February 16-22

Power to Do God's Will

SahbathJtfternoon

READ FOR THIS WEEK'S STUDY: Micah 6:1-16.

MEMORY TEXT: "He hath shewed thee, 0 man, what is

good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do

justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy

God?" (Micah 6:8).

KEY THOUGHT:

Micah emphasizes just how much God loves

us and how His love has provided for our deliverance from sin.

The danger is that we take His love for granted and fail to respond

by loving Him in return. As we study this lesson, we are reminded

of what God has done and promises to do for us in the future.

GOD OFFERS POWER TO A WAYWARD PEOPLE.

Because

we live in a time when many are turning to the courts to settle

their problems, the analogy of the court case in Micah 6 is quite

familiar to us. In Micah 6, God presents His lawsuit against Israel.

He issues a threefold summons to hear His case (verses 1, 2).

•

As we begin the chapter, we find God pleading through His

prophet, "Hear what the Lord says" (RSV). When we apply this

part of the book to our current situation, we sense that God speaks

to us individually, as well as to the church as a whole.

Israel's rejection of God's spiritual strength and purity and their

wayward lifestyle disappointed God. Yet He continued to plead

with them. He could deliver them from sin if only they would pay

attention to His counsel and make use of His power.

sunder



February 16

GOD PRESENTS HIS CASE (Micah 6:1-3).

God challenges His people to state their case if they think He is

wrong or to respond favorably if they acknowledge He is right.

How would you have reacted if you had been among those

who first heard Micah's statement that the mountains and hills

had been selected to serve on the jury that was about to judge

between God and His people? See Micah 6:1, 2.

The mountains and hills have witnessed God's gracious deal-

ings with the nation, as well as the people's ingratitude. Thus, in a

symbolic sense, they will be able to serve well as an impartial, yet

knowledgeable, jury.

With what questions does God challenge Israel to state their

case against Him? Micah 6:3.

Isaiah 5 portrays Israel as a well-tended vineyard. God chal-

lenges the people to judge between Him and His vineyard. Read

Isaiah 5:4.

According to Christ's

parable of the vineyard, what else did

God do for His vineyard?

Matt. 21:37.

"The Jewish rulers

did not love God; therefore they cut them-

selves away from Him, and rejected all His overtures for a just

settlement. Christ, the Beloved of God, came to assert the claims of

the Owner of the vineyard; but the husbandmen treated Him with

marked contempt. . . . They envied Christ's beauty of character.

His manner of teaching was far superior to theirs, and they

dreaded His success. He remonstrated with them, unveiling their

hypocrisy, and showing them the sure results of their course of

action. This stirred them to madness. They smarted under the

rebukes they could not silence. They hated the high standard of

righteousness which Christ continually presented. They saw that

His teaching was placing them where their selfishness would be

uncloaked, and they determined to kill

Him."—Christ's

Object Les-

sons,

pp. 293, 294.

How does this description of the reaction of the Jewish leaders

to Christ and His ministry apply to each of us?

16/14-

February 17

TOTAL HEART SURRENDER (Micah 6:4-7).

God calls their attention to a few of His mighty deeds in be-

half of His people. List below those providences that He specifi-

cally mentions in Micah 6:4, 5.

Despite the attempts of wicked kings like Balak and apostate

prophets like Balaam, the Lord had pronounced a blessing upon

His people. (See Num. 23:8-11.)

Shittim was the last place at which the Israelites stopped before

crossing the Jordan (Joshua 3:1). Gilgal was the first place where

they camped in the land of Canaan (Joshua 4:19). Between Shittim

and Gilgal they had experienced the remarkable miracle that the

Lord performed so they could cross the Jordan. (See Joshua 3; 4.)

What has God done for you that He can point to as evidence

of His special care and concern for you? Are you willing to

admit that He has done everything He can to help you be what

He wants you to be? How will you answer Jesus' plea to His

Laodicean people: "What have I done to hurt you? Why do you

stay so far away from Me? Why don't you respond to My

love?"

In Micah 6:6, 7, we read Israel's response to God's challenge

in the previous verses. What kinds of things did they seem to

think God wanted them to do? Notice how their response moves

from the minimal—the burnt offering—to what they consider to

be the maximum—the offering of their sons and daughters. (See

Isa. 1:11-15; Lev. 18:21.)

What the Israelites did not seem to understand is that God did

not want their offerings. He wanted them.

Why are merely human works, including religious cere-

monies, unacceptable as a means of reconciling us to God? Rom.

3:20-24.

Works of law, whether moral, ceremonial, or civil, cannot make ,

us right with God. Salvation is by God's grace alone. God's com-

plaint against Israel was that they were attempting to make them-

selves right with Him by depending upon their own efforts. (See

Rom. 9:30-33.)

lade-

February 18

THE GOLDEN RULE (Micah 6:8).

After you review yesterday's lesson, read the quotation below.

As you do, ask yourself whether there is anything you are trying

to do to earn salvation.

Good works are not the means of salvation, but an essential

result. "Our acceptance with God is sure only through His beloved

Son, and good works are but the result of the working of His sin-

pardoning love. They are no credit to us, and we have nothing

accorded to us for our good works by which we may claim a part

in the salvation of our souls. Salvation is God's free gift to the

believer, given to him for Christ's sake alone. The troubled soul

may find peace through faith in Christ, and his peace will be in

proportion to his faith and trust. He cannot present his good

works as a plea for the salvation of his soul.

'But are good works of no real value? Is the sinner who com-

mits sin every day with impunity, regarded of God with the

same favor as the one who through faith in Christ tries to work

in his integrity? The Scripture answers, 'We are his workman-

ship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God ha th

before ordained that we should walk in them.' In His divine

arrangement, through His unmerited favor, the Lord has or-

dained that good works shall be rewarded. . . . It is the fragrance

of the merit of Christ that makes our good works acceptable to

God, and it is grace that enables us to do the works for which

He rewards us."—Ellen G. White Comments,

SDA Bible Commen-

tary,

vol. 5, p. 1122.

Micah 6:8 tells us what God really expects from His followers.

How can you apply this verse to your own life?

"To do justly"



"To love mercy"



"To walk humbly with thy God"



Jesus is the supreme example. He was always just, merciful,

humble, and discreet. He said, "I always do what pleases him

[God]" (John 8:29, NIV). He was the greatest exemplification of

Micah 6:8. And He instructs us to copy His example. (See Phil.

2:5-11.) (Compare Matt. 7:12)

God's expectations

Israel's wrongdoings

Do justly

Love mercy

Walk humbly with God

Vabtesde-

February 19

THE SPIRITUAL FAILURE OF GOD'S PEOPLE (Micah 6:9-15).

Summarize in your own words God's charges against the

people. Micah 6:9-12. (If possible read the passage in a modern

translation.) Contrast their wicked ways with God's expectations

for His people by completing the chart that follows:

Micah emphasizes the seriousness of the message by making it

clear that God Himself is speaking through him to the people of

Jerusalem. The truly wise will listen to His voice as He details their

wrongdoings and the certainty of the punishment that will follow

if they do not repent.

The encouraging thing is that God makes fully possible what

He expects. His commands are His enablings. Are you willing to

testify to others about the change in your life since Christ has be-

come your Lord? Without publicly confessing your past sins, be

able to describe to your fellow Sabbath School class members how

Jesus' love has transformed your life.

Using the King James Version, complete the following in

order to gain a clear picture of how graphically Micah describes

the punishment that God would send on the Israelites as a result

of their continuing sin. Micah 6:13-15

Verse 13: The Lord would make the people



and



Verse 14: The people would eat but not be



They would not be successful in



their goods.

Verse 15: They would sow, but not



They would grow olives and grapes, but have no



February 20

HE CARES FOR ME! (Micah 6:16).

What would happen as the result of Israel's continuing to fol-

low the idolatrous rules and practices introduced by Omri and

Ahab? Micah 6:16 (compare 1 Kings 16:25, 30).

God's threats of judgment to come are not made in anger. He

loves and cares for His people. He longs for them to recognize that

what they have been doing is wrong and disappointing to Him.

He pleads with them to turn from evil.

He cares. A young singer bore a cross that seemed so heavy she

was tempted to give up everything. But she had faith. And she

knew that God had the power to do all things. However, she could

not believe that He cared enough about her to answer her prayers.

And because she didn't believe, she couldn't pray.

In her distress she called a friend. Almost before her friend

could answer, she blurted out, "Something terrible has happened.

I'm not a Christian anymore. I've given up everything!"

Then she hung up. But as she did so, her eyes fell upon a copy

of the famous painting of Christ in Gethsemane. The heart she

thought so cold began to weep. Through her tears she began sing-

ing once again these words:

"Because His love for me led through Gethsemane,

I know He cares, He cares for me;

Because His plan for me led to the cross of Calvary,

I know He cares, I know He cares for me."

These words gave the lie to everything she had been thinking

and saying. She could not sing them and still doubt God's care for

her. Casting herself at the Master's feet, she wept and prayed from

a heart that knew He cared.

Do not ever think that He does not care. He cares so much that

He still bears the scars of the cross. (See 1 Peter 5:7; Ps. 71:1, 2.)

Think back over your life, as God asked Israel to do in Micah

6:4, 5. What things has He done for you that let you know how

very much He loves you?

Have you attempted recently to convince someone else of

God's care for them? How did you do this—by telling them, by

doing something for them, by being understanding, or by simply

being friendly? What approach do you think best?

February 21

FURTHER STUDY:

Study the promises that follow and review

what God wants to do for you: Joshua 1:5; Ps. 16:11; 34:10; Matt.

6:33; 11:29; Phil. 4:19.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1 What have you learned this week that will make you a

stronger Christian?

What can you do this coming week to apply what you've

learned to your relationships with others?

Review Tuesday's lesson. What steps would you take to help

a child understand that Jesus accepts us just as we are, and

that, when we allow Him to change us by His Spirit, we

receive the power to do good?

This week's lesson taught us that Jesus is the supreme ex-

emplification of Micah 6:8. What New Testament events can

you recall in which Jesus did justly, loved mercy, and walked

humbly with God?

How does your idea of what religion should be compare with

the following quotation? "The standard of the golden rule is

the true standard of Christianity; anything short of it is a

deception. A religion that leads men to place a low estimate

upon human beings, whom Christ has esteemed of such

value as to give Himself for them; a religion that would lead

us to be careless of human needs, sufferings, or rights, is a

spurious religion. . . .

"Search heaven and earth, and there is no truth revealed

more powerful than that which is made manifest in works of

mercy to those who need our sympathy and aid. This is the

truth as it is in Jesus. When those who profess the name of

Christ shall practice the principles of the golden rule, the

same power will attend the gospel as in apostolic times."—

Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing,

pp. 136, 137.

SUMMARY:

God's court case against the people of Israel is clear-

cut and specific. They are unable to answer His charges or find a

reasonable excuse for violating His laws. Even so, God is merciful

in offering the means by which they can rise above their past

failures and find peace and joy in union with Him.

Lesson 9



— - February 23-29

Spiritual and Material

Restoration

Sabfrath ,,4fteritoosi

READ FOR THIS WEEK'S STUDY: Micah 7:1-20.

MEMORY TEXT: "Who is a God like unto thee, that par-

doneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the

remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever,

because he delighteth in mercy" (Micah 7:18).

KEY THOUGHT. We may become discouraged if we con-

centrate on the evils we see around us. Only by concentrating on

the beauty and goodness of Jesus will we reflect His character.

FORGIVENESS FOR A REPENTING PEOPLE. Micah looks to

the Lord, realizes his own sinfulness and that of his people, then

turns to the Lord in repentance. If the people will follow his ex-

ample, they will find the forgiveness and hope God has promised

them all along. Micah's recognition of his own need helped him to

be more sympathetic with the people.

The last notes in the song of Micah are happy and hopeful, end-

ing with promises of forgiveness and restoration.

At a recent stop-smoking program, a woman who had overcome

her nicotine addiction said to the director, "Oh, you Adventists are

so wonderful, so happy, so healthy! You don't have any hang-ups at

all, do you?" How we wish that were true! The point is, it should be.

God has given us all power in heaven and earth through Jesus Christ

to represent Him fully to the world. The promise implied in this

chapter is that someday soon that will happen.

February 23

NATIONAL APOSTASY (Micah 7:1-6).

Explain the metaphor Micah uses to illustrate the spiritual

destitution of Israel. Micah 7:1.

Just as there are no grapes or figs left worth eating when the

harvest has been completed, so there are no godly people left in

the land. National apostasy has led to national ruin. The Revised

Standard Version translates Micah 7:1: "Woe is me! For I have be-

come as when the summer fruit has been gathered, as when the

vintage has been gleaned: there is no cluster to eat."

Micah became so disillusioned that he proclaimed the disap-

pearance of good people from the earth. What particular condi-

tions among the people led him to this conclusion? Micah 7:2, 3.

From your knowledge of current events, can you illustrate the

existence of similar evils in our world today?

What last-day conditions, similar to those of Micah's day, did

a New Testament prophet foresee? 2 Tim. 3:1-9.

Responsible for their own ruin.

"We are living in the last

days of this earth's history, and we may be surprised at nothing

in the line of apostasies and denials of the truth. Unbelief has

now come to be a fine art which men work at to the destruction

of their souls. There is constant danger of there being shams in

pulpit preachers, whose lives contradict the words they speak;

but the voice of warning and of admonition will be heard as

long as time shall last; and those who are guilty of transactions

that should never be entered into, when reproved or counseled

through the Lord's appointed agencies, will resist the message

and refuse to be corrected. They will go on as did Pharaoh and

Nebuchadnezzar, until the Lord takes away their reason, and

their hearts become unimpressible. The Lord's word will come to

them; but if they choose not to hear it, the Lord will make them

responsible for their own

ruin."—Selected Messages,

book 2,

p. 147.

Compare the atmosphere of suspicion and distrust that existed

in Micah's day with the conditions that Jesus predicted would

exist shortly before the end of time. Compare Micah 7:4-6 with

Matthew 10:21-23, 34-39.



February 24

FOCUSING ON GOD (Micah 6:7).

History repeats itself because the evil tendencies of the human

heart are the same in every age. The spiritual destitution of Israel

in Micah's day illustrates our world today, except that, the closer

we get to the Second Coming, the more evil pervades society. Sin

has become a science. Dishonesty is cloaked in false piety. Im-

morality disguises as love.

What did Micah determine to do, and with what result? Micah

7:7.

To "wait upon the Lord" was an expression that was also

popular with Isaiah. (See Isa. 8:17; 40:31.) [t indicates a willingness

to trust the Lord and depend on Him.

As Micah focused his attention on the Lord instead of on those

about him, he recognized his own sinfulness and his own need. He

became more sympathetic to those to whom the Lord had commis-

sioned him to minister. A sure pathway to discouragement in our

Christian experience is to look at people instead of the Lord. Our

only safety comes from concentrating on Christ and His goodness.

Compassion for the sinner. "Christ honored man with His

confidence and thus placed him on his honor. Even those who

had fallen the lowest He treated with respect. It was a continual

pain to Christ to be brought into contact with enmity, depravity,

and impurity; but never did He utter one expression to show

that His sensibilities were shocked or His refined tastes offended.

Whatever the evil habits, the strong prejudices, or the overbear-

ing passions of human beings, He met them all with pitying

tenderness. As we partake of His Spirit, we shall regard all men

as brethren, with similar temptations and trials, often falling and

struggling to rise again, battling with discouragements and dif-

ficulties, craving sympathy and help. Then we shall meet them in

such a way as not to discourage or repel them, but to awaken

hope in their hearts. . . .

"With a sense of our own infirmities, we shall have compassion

for the infirmities of others."—The

Ministry of Healing,

pp. 165, 166.

How would you say you react when surrounded by those who

are not serving the Lord? Do you oppose their behavior in a

judgmental manner? Do you compromise your convictions? Or

do you, like Peter, attempt to merge into the scene? What do you

consider the best way to handle such a situation?

February 25

A VISION OF RESTORATION (Micah 7:8-13).

How did Micah express Israel's new determination to rise

above the failures of the past and emerge from spiritual and

material ruin? Micah 7:8, 9.

Undoubtedly there were those who responded to Micah's mes-

sage. Others turned to the Lord after being taken into captivity.

Micah expressed their determination to accept whatever the Lord

ordered for them, to serve Him come what may.

Jesus taught us the true meaning of Micah 7:8, 9. He rebuked

Simon and Judas because they adopted a judgmental attitude to

Mary Magdalene. (See Luke 7:36-50; John 12:1-8.) If their attitude

had persisted, Mary could have been thoroughly discouraged.

What glorious restoration to national greatness could Israel

have experienced if the people had maintained their new

relationship with the Lord? Micah 7:10-13.

Israel never became that great nation, because she never ful-

filled the conditions that such a complete restoration required.

Even so, spiritual Israel will fulfill this prophecy when its citizens

from every race and nation will dwell within the New Jerusalem

while their enemies remain outside. (See Rev. 20:7-15.) "But the

earth will be desolate because of its inhabitants, for the fruit of

their doings" (Micah 7:13, RSV). The ultimate fulfillment of this

verse will be realized at the end of time. But immediately follow-

ing the desolation, the Lord will re-create the earth in Edenic

beauty. (See Rev. 21:1, 5.)

Two classes.

"Amid the ransomed throng are the apostles of

Christ, the heroic Paul, the ardent Peter, the loved and loving John,

and their truehearted brethren, and with them the vast host of

martyrs; while outside the walls, with every vile and abominable

thing, are those by whom they were persecuted, imprisoned, and

slain."—The

Great Controversy,

p. 667.

How would you explain God's love to a person whose faith is

weak because he or she is suffering the natural consequence of

sin? Perhaps the consequence is disease or financial ruin or a

broken marriage or something else. How would you convince

such a person that forgiveness is still available and that the Lord

loves him or her infinitely?

February 26

GOD'S ASSURANCE (Micah 7:14-17).

In response to God's promises of restoration, Micah prays in

verse 14 that the Good Shepherd will care for and feed His people.

How do the scriptures below help us understand the divine

Shepherd's care?

Ps. 23:1



Ps. 23:4



Ps. 95:7



Isa. 40:11



Eze. 34:11-15



The Lord cares for everyone.

"Jesus knows us individually, and

is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He knows us all by

name. He knows the very house in which we live, the name of

each occupant. He has at times given directions to His servants to

go to a certain street in a certain city, to such a house, to find one

of His sheep.

"Every soul is as fully known to Jesus as if he wee the only one

for whom the Saviour died. The distress of every one touches His

heart. The cry for aid reaches His ear. . . .

"Through all our trials we have a never-failing Helper. He

does not leave us alone to struggle with temptation, to battle

with evil, and be finally crushed with burdens and sorrow.

Though now He is hidden from mortal sight, the ear of faith can

hear His voice saying, Fear not; I am with you."—The

Desire of

Ages,

pp. 479-483.

How does God respond to Micah's prayer in verse 14? Micah

7:15-17.

The deliverance from Egypt represents the final deliverance of

God's people at the end of time. The wicked will shrink in shame and

fear as they confront the Judge of all the earth. But God's faithful will

rejoice in the Lord.

How important to you is God's offer to be your shepherd?

What are the advantages of accepting His offer?

February 27

THE REMNANT

REMNANT FORGIVEN (Micah 7:18-20).

Micah's message closes with a doxology of praise to the

wonderful God who takes such great interest in His people.

What does God do for His people that no heathen deity has

ever claimed to do? Micah 7:18, 19.

Are you convinced that your guilt is destroyed

when you ac-

cept Jesus as Lord, confessing your sin and accepting the gift of

His righteousness? Note the following:

•

Jesus bore the legal penalty for our sin on the cross. (See Isa.

53:5, 6; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24.)

•

When we accept Jesus, confess our sins to Him, and ask His

forgiveness, He destroys our guilt (our responsibility for wrong-

doing), because He has already suffered for it. (See 1 John 1:9; 2:2;

Rom. 3:25; Acts 13:38, 39.)

•

Micah 7:18, 19 teaches that God "pardons sin and forgives the

transgression of the remnant of his inheritance. . . . You will tread

our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the

sea" (NIV). Note that our guilt goes down, not up! Why? Because

Jesus has suffered for it and has forgiven us.

Our guilt is abolished.

"The heaviest burden that we bear is the

burden of sin. If we were left to bear this burden, it would crush

us. But the Sinless One has taken our place. 'The Lord ha th laid on

him the iniquity of us all.' Isa. 53:6. He has borne the burden of

our guilt. He will take the load from our weary shoulders. He will

give us rest."—The

Desire of Ages,

pp. 328, 329.

How may the weakest of human beings live in contact with

the living Christ? John 14:15-19; Eph. 3:16-19.

The covenant promises God made to Abraham and Jacob are

fulfilled to His people today (Micah 7:20). One of those covenant

promises was that "by faith we might receive the promise of the

Spirit" (Gal. 3:14, NIV). That promise ensures to us justification,

the gift of the righteousness of Christ because of His abiding

presence in our hearts. (See Gal. 3:3; Rom. 8:9, 10; 10:6-10.) Be-

cause the presence of the Holy Spirit is the presence of Jesus, we

live in constant contact with the living Christ as long as we

allow the Spirit to reign within. (See

The Ministry of Healing,

p. 182.)

February 28

FURTHER STUDY:

The Ministry of Healing

states that "the gospel

is a wonderful simplifier of life's problems" (p. 363). List four Bible

examples that illustrate this point:



DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

Are you concentrating on Jesus rather than on those about

you? If not, what can you do this week to improve the situa-

tion?

Should you be able to forgive and forget as God does?

Read the story that follows, then ask yourself, What can I do

to make my home and my church happier places?

Jenny had an unusually busy and frustrating day. But, in spite

of this, she took time to bake Paul his favorite dessert—lemon pie.

That evening when Paul arrived home, it was apparent to him that

she was in a bad mood. She was irritable all through dinner.

When she served the pie, Paul frowned, but didn't say anything

until she asked, "What's wrong?"

"Oh, it seems kind of sour," he answered.

The next day Jenny was back to her normal sweet self. That

night, Jenny served some of the leftover pie to Paul after dinner.

"Say!" he exclaimed. "What happened to this pie? It tastes much

sweeter than it did last night."

But Jenny hadn't done a thing to the pie. When she was reading

the Bible just before she went to bed, she found an answer to her

frustrations in Proverbs 16:24. "Pleasant words are as an honey-

comb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones."

SUMMARY:

The people of Micah's day found the answer to their

problems when they came to the Lord in complete consecration, rec-

ognizing their own need and sinfulness and turning to God, who

alone could deliver them. In their subsequent experience they

learned how bountifully God provides for those who turn to Him.

The promises God gave through Micah apply with special force to

God's last-day people, who will see their ultimate fulfillment.

Introduction to the Book of

Zephaniah

The name

Zephaniah

means "Yahweh has concealed," or "Yahweh

has protected." Zephaniah traces his ancestry back to "Hizkiah"

(Zeph. 1:1). Because the Hebrew original of the name is also rendered

"Hezekiah," it is assumed that Zephaniah was the great-great-

grandson of King Hezekiah. Zephaniah tells us that he prophesied

"in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah" (Zeph. 1:1).

Josiah reigned from 640 to 609 B.C. Since Zephaniah predicted the

fall of Nineveh (Zeph. 2:13), which occurred in 612 B.C., we might

conclude that his prophetic ministry occupied the earlier years of

Josiah's reign. It is possible that Zephaniah was a contemporary of

Habakkuk and that he prophesied a few years before Jeremiah began

his prophetic ministry in 626 B.C.

The burden of Zephaniah's short book is that, in view of the

coming day of the Lord, Judah and the surrounding nations should

repent and "seek righteousness" (Zeph. 2:3). He foresaw that the

unfaithful in Judah and in neighboring nations would be destroyed

or taken captive; only a faithful remnant of Israel would be left to

inhabit their own land and that of their former enemies.

The day of the Lord came for the Assyrians when Nineveh fell to

the combined armies of Babylon and Media in 612 B.C. Judah and

her neighbors suffered their day of the Lord when the Babylonians

invaded and finally destroyed them in 586 B.C.

The local, historical days of the Lord in which the nations of the

Near East were punished for their wickedness are a type of the

ultimate day of the Lord, when the unfaithful among the nations of

earth will be destroyed at the second coming of Jesus. The promises

to Israel will be fulfilled in principle to the remnant of God's last-day

people, who will finally witness the destruction of earth's nations

and the establishment of the kingdom of Christ, centered in the New

Jerusalem on the earth made new.

Zephaniah—No Time to Lose

1:1-2:3

2:4-3:7

3:8-20

The Philosophy of

the Judgment

The Application of

Judgment

The Result of

Judgment

God warns

God wonders

God sings

Lesson 10

March 1-7

Desolation of the Earth

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READ FOR THIS WEEK'S STUDY: Zephaniah 1:1-18.

MEMORY TEXT: "The great day of the Lord is near, it is near,

and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the

mighty man shall cry there bitterly" (Zephaniah 1:14).

KEY THOUGHT: Seventh-day Adventists share Zephaniah's

mission of warning others that God's judgments are imminent.

Only the grace of Christ can qualify us to stand secure with His

remnant people when the earth is destroyed.

THE DAY OF THE LORD FOLLOWS THE PRE-ADVENT

JUDGMENT. Zephaniah's description of calamity about to fall

upon impenitent Israel and the surrounding nations also describes

the day of judgment when Christ comes to deliver His remnant

people. The local day of the Lord foreshadowed the ultimate end-

time day of the Lord. If we are to awaken others to the cry of the

judgment message and the soon-coming "day of the Lord," we

must do it now.

"We should be astonished at our own indifference when we

should be all life and vivacity could we see the work that is going

on in heaven. . . . The great antitypical day of atonement and the

work of judgment is going on with the dead, and how soon will it

begin with the living when every one of our cases will pass in

review before God? . . . To us who have this hope and faith it is a

dangerous thing to be putting off the day of God."—Ellen G.

White, Manuscript 10, 1886 ("Preparation for Christ's Coming,"

July 23, 1886).



March 1

COMING DESTRUCTION (Zeph. 1:1-3).

Zephaniah vividly described the retribution that was to be

poured out on Judah and the surrounding nations because they

had rejected the Lord. The calamities that were to come upon them

foreshadowed the greater calamities that will envelope the earth at

Christ's second coming.

What expressions used in Zephaniah 1:2, 3 indicate that God

plans to make a clean sweep of everything on earth?

In what way has the natural world been affected by sin? Gen.

3:17, 18; Rom. 8:19-22.

It was not that the sentence pronounced against sin was di-

rected specifically against the natural world, but the results and

devastation of sin would be evident in all creation.

How can we observe the results and devastation of sin in the

natural world today? What environmental issues are people con-

cerned about in your part of the world? Should Christians be

concerned about these issues? If so, what can they do about

them?

What do the following passages indicate will happen at

Christ's second coming? Jer. 4:23-26; Mal. 4:1; 2 Peter 3:7, 10, 11;

Rev. 16:17-21.

"I will sweep away both men and animals" (Zeph. 1:3, NIV).

"At

the coming of Christ the wicked are blotted from the face of the

whole earth—consumed with the spirit of His mouth and destroyed

by the brightness of His glory. Christ takes His people to the City of

God, and the earth is emptied of its inhabitants. 'Behold, the Lord

maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside

down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.' The land shall

be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this

word.' Because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordi-

nance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse de-

voured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore

the inhabitants of the earth are burned.' Isaiah 24:1, 3, 5,

6."—The

Great Controversy,

p. 657.

Nom*

— March 2

GIVEN FAIR WARNING (Zeph. 1:1-13).

Zephaniah's warning in the first three verses urged the citizens

of Judah to get ready. Read below one of Ellen White's calls to be

ready for the day of the Lord.

"One brother said to me, 'Sister White, do you think the Lord

will come in ten years?'

" 'What difference does it make to you whether He shall come

in two, four, or ten years?'

" 'Why,' he said, 'I think I would do differently in some things

than I now do if I knew the Lord was to come in ten years.'

" 'What would you do?' I asked.

" 'Why,' he said, 'I would sell my property and begin to search

the Word of God and try to warn the people and get them to

prepare for His coming, and I would plead with God that I might

be ready to meet Him.'

"Then I said, 'If you knew that the Lord was not coming for

twenty years, you would live differently?'

"He answered, 'I think I would.'

"Then I said, 'You know your Master's will, and it is your duty

to do just as though you knew that He was coming in [ten] years.'

"I opened the Scriptures and read to him . . . and he was con-

victed that he should change his course, and he did change his

course of action. . . . How selfish was the expression that he would

live a different life if he knew his Lord was to come in ten years!

Why, Enoch walked with God 300 years. This is a lesson for us

that we shall walk with God every day, and we are not safe unless

we are waiting and watching. We must have an eye single to

God's glory."—Ellen G. White, Manuscript 10, 1886 ("Preparation

for Christ's Coming," July 23, 1886).

What do the following passages teach regarding preparedness

for Christ's coming?

Matt. 24:44



Mark 13:35



1 Thess. 5:1-9



2 Peter 3:3, 4, 10-14, 17, 18



Rev. 16:15



lade

March 3

PUNISHMENT FOR JUDAH (Zeph. 1:4-13).

What sins led God to withdraw from Judah and allow suffer-

ing to come upon them? Zeph. 1:4-6. What sins among professed

Christians today would match those of ancient Judah?

Sins of Judah



Modem Sins

Worshiping "the host of heaven upon the housetops" refers to

the people using the flat roofs of their homes to worship the sun,

moon, and stars. There they "made altars to worship the heavenly

bodies, offered animal sacrifices, and burned incense (see . . . Jer.

19:13)."—SDA

Bible Commentary,

vol. 4, p. 1063.

The

Chemarims

(verse 4) were idolatrous priests of Baal who led

Israel astray.

Malcham

(verse 5) was

Milcom

the Ammonite god.

(See 1 Kings 11:5, 33.)

The last half of Zephaniah 1:6 refers to those who didn't care

about religion at all. There should be no comfort in the fact that

merely being indifferent ranks last in Zephaniah's list of sins. What

happens to those who are indifferent? They are punished just as

surely as those who commit the sins at the top of the list.

Zephaniah speaks about the "day of the Lord" as a "sacrifice"

(verses 7, 8). Who will be sacrificed and why?

Verse 8



Verse 9



Verse 10



Verse 11



Verses 12, 13



The invited guests at this strange sacrificial feast will be the

Babylonians. The Lord will use them as His instrument of punish-

ment.

How would you answer a person who believes that God will

not punish the wicked?

March 4

WHAT DOES

DOES IT MEAN? (Zeph. 1:8-11).

Yesterday we began studying Zephaniah 1:4-13. Today, let us

review verses 8-11.

Verse 8:

Those "clothed with strange apparel" are evidently

those who have adopted heathen customs.

Verse 9:

"On that day I will punish every one who leaps over

the threshold, and those who fill their master's house with violence

and fraud" (RSV). Leaping over the threshold is "a violent and

sudden rushing into houses to steal the property of strangers . . .

so that the allusion is to 'dishonourable servants of the king, who

thought that they could best serve their master by extorting

treasures from their dependents by violence and fraud'

(Ewald)."—C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch,

Commentary on the Old Tes-

tament

(Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1978), vol. 10,

Zephaniah,

p. 132.

Verse 11:

"Many scholars think that

maktesh

is here the name of

a section of Jerusalem. The context (see v. 10) seems to favor this

view."—SDA

Bible Commentary, vol.

p. 1064.

Various sections of Jerusalem are mentioned by Zephaniah.

"In the day of judgment to come, the extortioners living in

Jerusalem would normally be included in the outpouring of

[God's] wrath. Commentators seem impressed with Zephaniah's

familiarity with the different quarters of Jerusalem and point to

this as another evidence that he was a member of the royal family

and grew up in the city.

"The route described [in verses 10, 11] is one that would be fol-

lowed by invaders who broke into the city from the north. The Fish

Gate was part of the city wall on the northern side and was so called

because of the dried fish brought there by traders from Tyre. A little

to the west of the Fish Gate and inside the wall was the 'Second

Quarter'—apparently recognized as a weak link in the defenses of

Jerusalem and frequently reinforced. The prophetess Huldah—a

contemporary of Zephaniah—lived in this area. See 2 Kings 22:14.

"'The Mortar' or 'hollow space' probably refers to the natural

bowl formed by the mountains on either side of the Tyropoean

Valley between the upper city and the hill of the temple. This site

was not only liable to invasion by those attacking from the north,

but its name is also appropriate to what would happen there at the

time of the invasion."—Van Dolson,

Boost Your Prophets,

pp. 95, 96.

Think of examples from the life and teaching of Jesus that il-

lustrate God's unfailing mercy toward repentant souls who had

committed sins similar to those listed by Zephaniah.

March 5

THE ANSWER TO OUR DILEMMA (Zeph. 1:4-18).

Why did God punish Judah?

"If men cling to sin, they become

identified with it. Then the glory of God, which destroys sin, must

destroy them."—The

Desire of Ages,

p. 107.

What is the only way we can escape being part of the

"sacrifice" at Christ's second coming? Eph. 2:8-10.

God freely gives His saving grace to any who believe in Christ.

Sinful deeds, unrepented of, destroy our chance of receiving this

grace. But neither do good deeds save us. Only through faith in

Christ can we receive God's grace. Having been saved by grace,

we are then "God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do

good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Eph.

2:10, NIV).

The answer to the dilemma of Zephaniah's contemporaries was

to enter into a faith-grace relationship with the Lord. If they had

remembered and followed the counsel of Deuteronomy 6:4-6, they

would never have suffered at the hands of the Babylonians. The

answer to our dilemma today is identical.

If you were to die at this moment, do you believe you would

be saved? Do you receive from the Lord every day the power to

keep His law? If your answer is Yes, what evidence do you have

that you receive such power?

Which verses in the passage (Zeph. 1:14-18) best present the

following facts concerning the coming day of the Lord?

Its nearness; its distress; its inevitability; its fearfulness.

What solemn appeal is implied in Zephaniah 1:18?

The passion for wealth is all-consuming with many people in this

materialistic age. The tragic fact is that the wealthy are just as subject

to disease, accident, and death as anyone else. And they are just as

dependent upon the grace of Christ for salvation as are poorer

people. Their wealth counts for nothing with God. Jesus tried to

awaken His followers to the same reality. (See Matt. 6:19, 20.)

The Lord's great longing is to save both rich and poor.

March 6

FURTHER STUDY: Note how the passages listed correspond with

Zephaniah's description of the day of the Lord: Isa. 9:19; Jer. 25:11,

33; Joel 2:2.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What answer would you give:

•

to the person who feels he or she cannot love God, because

His punishment of sinners seems to be inconsistent with His

love?

•

to the person who feels thoroughly assured of salvation

even though he or she does not have a relationship with

Christ that results in obedience to His law?

How should we relate to God's warnings of impending

judg-

ment?

1 John 4:16-18;

Prophets and Kings,

p. 389.

Review Zephaniah 1:18 and Matthew 6:19, 20. How has our

materialistic age affected your desires? Is there anything you

own that you could especially use for God that you are not

now using for Him?

SUMMARY: Zephaniah warned Israel and neighboring nations

the coming day of the Lord. The destruction of that day for those

nations foreshadowed the devastation of the great end-time day of

the Lord. By maintaining our faith-grace relationship with Jesus

we have present and future security.

Your Thirteenth Sabbath Special Projects

Offering in 1987 helped build this girls' dormi-

tory in Bogenhofen, Austria. Remember the

Euro-Africa Division again March 28.

Lesson 11

March 8-14

God's Appeal

4/0

Sabbath,Afternoon

READ FOR THIS WEEK'S STUDY: Zephaniah 2:1-3.

MEMORY TEXT: "Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the

earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteous-

ness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of

the Lord's anger" (Zephaniah 2:3).

KEY THOUGHT:

God appeals to us, as He did to Judah, to

seek Him and His righteousness while there is still time.

THE AUCTION FOR OUR SOULS.

A London minister was

preaching on the streets one day, when Lady Ann Erskine came by

in her carriage. She was famous for squandering her husband's

money. As she approached, the minister announced he was hold-

ing an auction for her soul. Quickly he recognized a bidder.

"Satan! What do you bid for Lady Ann's soul?"

"All the wealth and pleasures of the world!"

"And what about after this life has ended?" Silence!

"Here's another bidder! Jesus, what do You offer?"

"I offer a cross of self-denial. But it will bring her happiness. I

also offer eternal life in the kingdom I'm preparing for those who

love and serve Me."

The preacher's "auction" moved Lady Ann to repent and be-

come the angel of London slums.

The auction for our souls is not imaginary. And most people are

attracted to Satan's offer. But God appeals to us today, as He did

to His people in the days of Zephaniah, to accept His offer, which

will bring us true happiness in this life and eternal joy.

Slider



March 8

GATHER TOGETHER (Zeph. 2:1, 2).

Chapter 1 of Zephaniah closes with a note of solemn warning.

The trumpet of judgment is sounding, but the people are not

prepared. is there any hope?

What group is addressed first in Zephaniah 2:1?

The NW translates the text: "Gather together, gather together, 0

shameful nation." Because the people were not ashamed of their

sinful life, they were not "desired" (KJV) in the sense of not being

worthy of the Lord's blessings.

Even so, the Lord's infinite love led Him to choose prophets like

Zephaniah to appeal for their repentance. One of the great truths

of Scripture is that the Lord works for our salvation

before

we have

any desire for Him.

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless,

Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a

righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly

dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:6-8, NIV).

What does the Lord do for the helpless sinner who is unable

to change his or her attitudes and behavior? John 6:44; 12:32.

Without Christ's convicting, drawing power, exercised on our

minds by the Holy Spirit, we would never have any sense of

shame for our sins or any desire to come to Him. The Lord pities

our helplessness. He is not displeased with us because we are

weak; He becomes displeased when we reject His Spirit.

We are drawn to Christ if we do not resist. "The same divine

mind that is working upon the things of nature is speaking to the

hearts of men and creating an inexpressible craving for something

they have not. The things of the world cannot satisfy their longing.

The Spirit of God is pleading with them to seek for those things

that alone can give peace and rest—the grace of Christ, the joy of

holiness."—Steps

to Christ,

p. 28.

Looking back over your life, how can you see that the Lord

has worked for your salvation? How is He now "creating an in-

expressible craving" for Him?

March 9

SEEK THE LORD (Zeph. 2:1-3).

Why was the challenge to "gather together" particularly

relevant to Israel at that time in its history? What significance

does this call have for us? Zeph. 2:1, 2.

After the "decree" that composes most of chapter 1 would go

into effect, it would be too late to change the fate of the nation. The

"chaff" would be scattered as before a whirlwind. The Lord was

about to withdraw Himself from His professed people, allowing

the Babylonians to invade them and take them captive. The "day

of the Lord" was about to occur. If ever there was a time for heart-

searching and united prayer, that was the time. Joel had counseled:

"Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the

elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the

bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber. Let the

priests, who minister before the Lord, weep between the temple

porch and the altar. Let them say, 'Spare your people, 0 Lord' "

(Joel 2:16, 17, NW).

Whom does the Lord invite to seek Him? Why? Zeph. 2:3, first

part.

Those who respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit by put-

ting away sin and gathering together for prayer receive forgiveness

for sin and the grace to do God's will.

"Seek meekness."

"Meekness" is not cowardice. In fact it is just

the opposite, because it involves full submission to the will of God.

The "meek" (KJV) or "humble" (NIV) are those who are willing to

acknowledge their helplessness apart from God and to submit to the

inner working of the Holy Spirit. That is impossible unless the grace

of God makes it possible for us to submit ourselves fully to Him.

The Lord uses humble people.

When we are willing to humble

ourselves, to empty ourselves in order to be pure vessels to hold

the mercies of God, the Lord will then be able to use us.

Are you impressed with our need today for personal and cor-

porate prayer? How well attended are prayer meetings in your

church? Why do you think prayer meeting is so poorly attended

in many churches? What can be done to awaken people to the

need for heart-searching and prayer?

ftirthiS



March 10

SEEK RIGHTEOUSNESS (Zeph.

2:3).

What kind of search

for the Lord will always be

successful?

Deut. 4:29; Heb. 11:6.

"The Lord specifies no conditions except that you hunger for His

mercy, desire His counsel, and long for His love. . . . When you ask

for the blessings you need, that you may perfect a character after

Christ's likeness, the Lord assures you that you are asking according

to a promise that will be verified. That you feel and know you are a

sinner is sufficient ground for asking for His mercy and compas-

sion."—Thoughts

From the Mount of Blessing,

pp. 130, 131.

Zephaniah instructs us to "seek righteousness" (Zeph. 2:3).

What do the following texts teach regarding the importance of

possessing righteousness?

Isa. 61:10



Matt. 5:6



Rom. 1:17



Rom.

5:17



Rom. 6:13, 19



A careful study of all that Jesus had to say about "righteousness"

in Matthew 5 reveals that He had in mind ethical "right doing" that

results from "right being." Individuals who become children of God

through the steps Christ outlined in the Beatitudes will love God so

much that His law will be inscribed on their hearts and minds, and

their actions will give evidence of the fact.

How do we become righteous?

The Bible teaches that "without

holiness no one will see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14, NN). "Righteous-

ness is holiness, likeness to God, and 'God is love.' 1 John 4:16. It is

conformity to the law of God, for 'all Thy commandments are

righteousness' (Psalm 119:172), and 'love is the fulfilling of the law'

(Romans 13:10). Righteousness is love, and love is the light and the

life of God. The righteousness of God is embodied in Christ.

receive righteousness by receiving Him."—Thoughts From the Mount of

Blessing,

p. 18 (italics supplied).

Vednesde-

March 11

SEEK CHRIST-LIKENESS (Zeph. 2:3, first part).

What does Matthew 5:48 indicate that God makes possible for

His children? Compare 2 Cor. 7:1; 1 Peter 1:15, 16.

By His grace the standard can be reached.

"Perfection of char-

acter is based upon that which Christ is to us. If we have constant

dependence on the merits of our Saviour, and walk in His

footsteps, we shall be like Him. . . .

"Our Saviour does not require impossibilities of any soul. He

expects nothing of His disciples that He is not willing to give them

grace and strength to perform. He would not call upon them to be

perfect if He had not at His command every perfection of grace to

bestow on the ones upon whom He would confer so high and holy

a privilege. He has assured us that He is more willing to give the

Holy Spirit to them that ask Him than parents are to give good

gifts to their children.

"Our work is to strive to attain in our sphere of action the per-

fection that Christ in His life on the earth attained in every phase

of character. He is our example. . . . In falling day by day so far

short of the divine requirements, we are endangering our soul's

salvation. We need to understand and appreciate the privilege

with which Christ invests us, and to show our determination to

reach the highest standard.

We are to be wholly dependent on the

power that He has promised to give us."—Ellen

G. White,

That I May

Know Him,

p. 130 (italics supplied).

"None need fail of attaining, in his sphere, to perfection of

Christian character. . . . God calls upon us to reach the standard of

perfection, and places before us the example of Christ's character.

In His humanity, perfected by a life of constant resistance of evil,

the Saviour showed that through co-operation with Divinity, hu-

man beings may in this life attain to perfection of character. This is

God's assurance to us that we too may obtain complete victory."—

The Acts of the Apostles,

p. 531.

Indicate whether the following statements are true or false:



Righteousness is always in God's heart but never in

the hearts of human beings.



Justification is like an umbrella over you, even when

you commit sin.



We are never righteous apart from Christ.

771ursitur

March 12

GOD'S PROMISE (Zeph. 2:3).

What promise is made in the last part of Zephaniah 2:3?

The words

may be

perhaps

(depending on which version you

are using) indicate the conditional nature of this promise. Those

who do respond

will be

protected and covered during the coming

disaster. "Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge,

even the most High, thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee,

neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling" (Ps. 91:9, 10).

Satan will be frustrated in his attempts to deceive those who

are trusting in Christ. "He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he

that keepeth thee will not slumber" (Ps. 121:3). "But whoso

hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear

of evil" (Prov. 1:33). "Now unto him that is able to keep you from

falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory

with exceeding joy" (Jude 24). "Who are kept by the power of God

through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time"

(1 Peter 1:5).

What will cover us during "the day of the Lord's anger," and

what will be the effect? Ps. 27:5; 91:1, 2.

"In that day [the time of the seven last plagues], multitudes will

desire the shelter of God's mercy which they have so long

despised. . . .

"The people of God will not be free from suffering; but while

persecuted and distressed, while they endure privation and suffer

for want of food they will not be left to perish. . . . He who num-

bers the hairs of their heads will care for them. . . . While the

wicked are dying from hunger and pestilence, angels will shield

the righteous and supply their wants."

"If the blood of Christ's faithful witnesses were shed at this time, it

would not, like the blood of the martyrs, be as seed sown to yield a

harvest for God. . . . If the righteous were now left to fall a prey to

their enemies, it would be a triumph for the prince of darkness."—

The Great Controversy,

pp. 629, 634. (See also Isa. 26:20, 21.)

What can it do for you to know that God isn't "sleeping on

the job"? What image of God does Psalm 121:3 give you? What

answer would you give to those who turn away from the Advent

message because they are afraid of the time of trouble?

March 13

FURTHER STUDY:

Study Romans chapter 8 in relation to the

message of Zephaniah.

The point is that when we receive Christ into our hearts by the

Holy Spirit, we have righteousness within (Rom. 8:9, 10). The result

is conformity to the righteous law of God (Rom. 8:4). This is also the

teaching of Romans 10:6-10. Paul defines righteousness by faith by

quoting Deuteronomy 30:14: "The word is very near you; it is in your

mouth and in your heart so you may obey it" (NIV). Paul adds: "that

is, the word of faith we are proclaiming" (Rom. 10:8, NIV).

Righteousness by faith is Christ's righteousness being counted

for the believer, and it is also a heart experience; God's law is writ-

ten on the heart by the Holy Spirit, and the result is obedience to

it. This experience is salvation (Rom. 10:9). It is the experience by

which you are made righteous. Romans 10:10 translates literally:

"For with the heart he [or she] believes unto righteousness."

Righteousness is Christ's gift to the one who believes in Him; the

result is complete conformity to the principles of His holy law.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

In what ways are you demonstrating your wholehearted re-

sponse to God's appeal to seek Him?

Is your relationship with Christ right now such that you have

the assurance of His shelter on the "day of the Lord"? Is your

relationship with Christ one of close, daily fellowship?

Do you feel that, at times, we have perhaps concentrated too

much on the persecution that will befall us on "the day of the

Lord"? Would it be better to think instead about God's love

and care? Review Psalm 121, especially verse 3. Why not

commit this psalm to memory? Also read

The Desire of Ages,

p. 313.

What can you do this week to help others prepare to meet

Christ and enjoy the pleasures of eternity with Him?

SUMMARY:

The Lord appeals to us through Zephaniah to meet

together for earnest heart searching and prayer before the final

events of history come upon us. Humbly we are to seek the Lord,

His righteousness, and His shelter from the storms about to burst

on our world. By emphasizing God's love and care we are to con-

vince others to trust Him, whatever the future may hold.

Lesson 12

March 15-21

God's Love and Justice

Are Supreme

th ,-Ifternoott

READ FOR THIS WEEK'S STUDY: Zephaniah 2:4-3:7.

MEMORY TEXT: "The just Lord is in the midst thereof; he

will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judg-

ment to light, he faileth not" (Zephaniah 3:5).

KEY THOUGHT: Only the remnant who share God's goodness

will escape the judgments that are coming upon the earth and

enjoy the glories that will follow.

A WAY OF ESCAPE. Once when Calvin Coolidge was Vice-

President of the United States and presiding over the Senate, an

argument arose between two senators. One senator told the other

to go straight to hell. The offended senator marched down the

aisle and stood before Mr. Coolidge, who was leafing through a

book.

"Mr. President," he said, "did you hear what he said?"

Coolidge looked up from his book and said, "I've been looking

through the rule book. You don't have to go."—Lester Buford,

quoted in

Encyclopedia of 7,700 Illustrations

(Rockville, Maryland:

Assurance, 1988), p. 690; adapted.

And that's the point of this week's lesson! However sinful you

feel, you don't have to die eternally. Zephaniah's inspired predic-

tions against the nations were conditional. If they had repented as

Nineveh had done, God would have forgiven them. His infinite

love always provides a way of escape for those who accept it.

March 15

JUDGMENTS UPON THE NATIONS (Zeph. 2:4-10).

The nations surrounding Judah in Zephaniah's day were to suf-

fer God's judgments because of their wickedness. His prophecy

was a warning to them. There was still hope that they might

repent and accept God's salvation. Zephaniah's appeal is thor-

oughly relevant today. These nations represent the nations of our

world. The last appeals of the gospel are sounding throughout the

earth. The nations are angry. And the time of God's wrath has

come. (See Rev. 11:18.) But there is still time to repent.

What would happen to the territory of the Philistines? Zeph.

2:4, 5.

God addressed Philistia, the enemy to the west, first. Zeph-

aniah lists only four of the five chief cities of the plain. Possibly the

Assyrians had already destroyed Gath. The attack on Ashdod

would come at "the noon day," the hottest part of the day, when

the enemy would not be expected to attack.

The

Cherethites

(KJV), or

Kerethite people

(NIV), lived in the

southern portion of the coastal territory occupied by the Philis-

tines. For centuries the Philistines had rejected the true God and

had persecuted His people. (See 1 Samuel 13.)

Who would occupy the former territories of the Philistines?

Zeph. 2:6, 7.

Assyrian records show that the Assyrians invaded and con-

quered the Philistines. Later, during Herod's time, most of the

Philistines' territory became part of his kingdom.

The remnant of God's last-day people, along with the saved of

all ages, will eventually inhabit the entire earth. (See Isa. 65:17, 18;

66:22, 23; Matt. 5:5.)

What was the basic sin of the Moabites and Ammonites?

Zeph. 2:8, 10 (compare Isa. 16:6; Jer. 48:26).

Think about the nations that are in the news today. In what

ways does their pride affect their citizens?

On a more personal level, how does pride affect your church?

Your family?

You?

March 16

GOD'S REMNANT WILL POSSESS THE LAND (Zeph. 2:9-15).

Zephaniah 2 lists the nations that would receive God's judg-

ments if they did not repent. These nations are symbolic of the

nations of our modern world.

What specific group would inherit the land occupied by the

enemies to the east? To what extent would God he worshiped?

Zeph. 2:9 (last part), 11.

"All the isles" means "all the inhabitants of the earth." The

prophecy could have been fulfilled to literal Israel had they served

the Lord. It will now be fulfilled for the saved of all ages who will

worship God when the earth is re-created. (See Isa. 66:23; Rev.

21:24.)

What would be the fate of Israel's enemies to the south? Zeph.

2:12; Eze. 30:4.

Ethiopia was the farthest kingdom south that the Jews were

aware of. "Zephaniah says nothing further concerning this distant

nation [Ethiopia], which had not come into any hostile collision

with Judah in his day; and only mentions it to exemplify the

thought that all the heathen will come under the judgment. The

fulfilment commenced with the judgment upon Egypt through the

Chaldaeans, as is evident from Ezek. xxx. 4, 9."—C. F. Keil,

Minor

Prophets,

volume 10 of C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch,

Commentary on

the Old Testament

(Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1978

reprint), p. 147.

Why did the Lord decree the destruction of Assyria and the

complete desolation of its capital city, Nineveh (Zeph. 2:13-15)?

Isa. 10:12, 13.

Assyria was Israel's chief enemy to the north during Zepha-

niah's time. They had taken the northern 10 tribes of Israel captive

in 722 B.C. "In 614 B.C. Asshur fell to the Medes, as did probably

also Calah, and 2 years later (612 B.C.) the combined armies of

Babylon and of the Medes laid siege to old Nineveh, a city that

had seen no hostile foreign armies for centuries. After 3 months

the city fell to the attackers."—SDA

Bible Dictionary,

p. 775.

Jacsdtg



March 17

WHAT ABOUT TODAY?

What do the following passages teach regarding the Lord's

treatment of unbelieving nations that, at the end of time, give

their allegiance to the evil one and persecute God's faithful

people?

Rev. 11:18



Rev. 13:10



Rev. 16:19



Rev. 17:12-14



The book of Revelation predicts ultimate international coopera-

tion in opposition to the law of God. Chapter 13:11-18 foretells of

secular decrees that will be enforced worldwide, demanding al-

legiance to devil-inspired, man-made worship. Those who insist on

following God's Word will be deprived of their civil rights.

What international trends do you recognize today that are

leading to the fulfillment of these prophecies?

Zephaniah's graphic description of God's judgments on Assyria

points us forward to the time soon to come when the Lord will

punish the rebellious nations of earth.

Divine wrath for unrepentant nations.

"By terrible things in

righteousness He [God] will vindicate the authority of His down-

trodden law. The severity of the retribution awaiting the transgres-

sor may be judged by the Lord's reluctance to execute justice. The

nation with which He bears long, and which He will not smite

until it has filled up the measure of its iniquity in God's account,

will finally drink the cup of wrath unmixed with mercy."—The

Great Controversy,

p. 627.

Nations are made up of families, and families of individuals.

What is your family doing to turn the tide of evil in your com-

munity? What are you doing personally? For example, what prac-

tical steps are you taking to cooperate with those who are oppos-

ing the drug traffic? Are you willing to take meaningful action

against pornography, prostitution, child abuse, racial discrimina-

tion, and other unchristian practices?

Vabtesdair



- March 18

WARNINGS TO A WAYWARD PEOPLE (Zeph. 3:1-4, 6).

Just as surely as God would bring retribution on the surround-

ing nations, He would punish the sinners in Judah. And nothing

God did or said seemed to make much of an impression on those

committed to evil.

Why was Judah filthy and polluted? What was the basic

reason for her moral depravity? Zeph. 3:1, 2.

What categories of officials does the prophet fearlessly iden-

tify as being responsible for turning the people away from

obedience to God's laws? Zeph. 3:3, 4.

The Lord's appeal. (See Zeph. 3:6.) Nation after nation had risen

to heights of power and glory only to be removed from the scene

of action by God when their cup of iniquity was full.

The Lord lovingly appealed to His people. He said, " 'Surely

you will fear me and accept correction!' " (Zeph. 3:7, NIV). He

would then have protected their cities, homes, and lands from in-

vaders. "But they were still eager to act corruptly in all they did"

(Zeph. 3:7, NW).

We must prepare for the inevitable. Devastating earthquakes

have occured in various parts of the world in recent years. Revela-

tion 16:18-20 predicts an earthquake of such magnitude that it will

move every island and mountain.

"The mountains shake like a reed in the wind, and ragged rocks

are scattered on every side. There is a roar as of a coming tempest.

The sea is lashed into fury. There is heard the shriek of a hurricane

like the voice of demons upon a mission of destruction. The whole

earth heaves and swells like the waves of the sea. Its surface is

breaking up. Its very foundations seem to be giving way. Moun-

tain chains are sinking. Inhabited islands disappear. The seaports

that have become like Sodom for wickedness, are swallowed up by

the angry waters. . . . The proudest cities of the earth are laid

low."—The

Great Controversy,

p. 637.

God expresses His amazement that His people are not able to

profit from the experience of others. What are we able to learn

from the sad experience of Judah in the seventh and sixth cen-

turies B.C.?

March 19

GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS (Zeph. 3:5).

Of what are the people in Judah reminded concerning God's

presence and character? Zeph. 3:5.

"The Lord within her is righteous; he does no wrong. Morning

by morning he dispenses his justice, and every new day he does

not fail, yet the unrighteous know no shame" (Zeph. 3:5, NIV).

Not only is the Lord righteous in character, He also shares His

righteousness with the person who believes in Him. Morning by

morning, as we turn to Him in private and family worship, we

receive the outpouring of His righteousness upon us by the gift of

the Holy Spirit.

What do the passages that follow teach regarding the effect of

God's righteousness upon those who receive it?

Isa. 32:15-17



Rom. 1:16, 17



Phil. 3:9-11



The power in the gospel is the bestowal of God's righteousness

upon the believer by the Holy Spirit. (See Rom. 8:9, 10.)

His character becomes ours.

"All who have a sense of their

deep soul poverty, who feel that they have nothing good in

themselves, may find righteousness and strength by looking unto

Jesus. He says, 'Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy

laden.' Matthew 11:28. He bids you exchange your poverty for

the riches of His grace. We are not worthy of God's love, but

Christ, our surety, is worthy, and is abundantly able to save all

who shall come unto Him. Whatever may have been your past

experience, however discouraging your present circumstances, if

you will come to Jesus just as you are, weak, helpless, and

despairing, our compassionate Saviour will meet you a great way

off, and will throw about you His arms of love and His robe of

righteousness. He presents us to the Father clothed in the white

raiment of His own character."—Thoughts

From the Mount of

Blessing,

pp. 8, 9.

What has the gospel's power enabled you to do? What would

you like it to do for you?

- March Y.',

FURTHER STUDY:

What do the texts that follow teach us about

preparing for judgment? Isa. 55:6, 7; Mark 13:32-37; Luke 21:34;

Titus 2:11-14.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

What can you do this week to allow God to prepare you for

eternity?

What is your part in the process by which God will make

you righteous?

Why do people who have been given specific warnings about

judgments to come neglect to prepare? (See 2 Peter 3:3-7.)

The title of this week's lesson is "God's Love and Justice Are

Supreme." Thinking about what you have learned this week,

how is this true on a world scale? On a more personal, in-

dividual level?

SUMMARY:

God has a specific goal in mind in pointing His

people to the example of nations that have been cut off beause of

their excessive wickedness. He hopes to turn them away from sin

to a full acceptance of His plan of redemption and restoration.

The Euro-Africa Division thanks you for this

evangelistic center your Thirteenth Sabbath Special

Projects Offering in 1987 helped build for the

Muslims in Lyons, France. The Euro-Africa Divi-

sion needs your help again March 28.

Lesson 13



March 22-28

The Kingdom Restored

Saihtlt,;ifternoon

READ FOR THIS WEEK'S STUDY: Zephaniah 3:8-20.

MEMORY TEXT: "The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is

mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he

will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing"

(Zephaniah 3:17).

KEY THOUGHT:

After the Lord has eliminated the sin prob-

lem, the redeemed will inherit His eternal kingdom. In this week's

lesson we find God rejoicing over His redeemed people, even sing-

ing a happy song about the results of His sacrifice.

ULTIMATE RESTORATION.

In this last section of Zephaniah's

book, we receive a glimpse of God's forgiving attitude toward His

people. We find God promising to restore that which had been lost

because of the punishment He was constrained to bring upon Israel.

Even though God was not able to fulfill all these conditional

promises to literal Israel, He will ultimately fulfill them in principle

to the redeemed of all ages when Jesus returns. The universality of

this description indicates a larger application—an ultimate restora-

tion of the people of God at Christ's second coming.

"During the reign of Josiah the word of the Lord came to

Zephaniah, specifying plainly the results of continued apostasy,

and calling the attention of the true church to the glorious prospect

beyond. His prophecies of impending judgment upon Judah apply

with equal force to the judgments that are to fall upon an im-

penitent world at the time of the second advent of Christ"—

Prophets and Kings,

pp. 389, 390.

March 22

RESTORATION AFTER CAPTIVITY (Zeph. 3:8-13).

Many tend to overlook the fact that the ultimate result of the

final judgment is happy and positive, even thrilling for those who

have sent their sins beforehand to judgment.

What does Zephaniah 3:8 say to those who are perplexed

about the continued existence and apparent success of evil?

Although world events seem out of control, God appeals to us to

wait patiently for Him to act. He commissions us to continue

proclaiming the message that is to span the earth. (See Rev. 14:6-12.)

Before God can restore a perfect new earth what forms of sin

pollution will He remove? Zeph. 3:9-11.

No longer will there be language pollution, pride pollution, or

any of the other effects and results of evil. God's people will live

forever as contented sheep under the care and guidance of the

Good Shepherd.

What good traits will characterize the "remnant" of Israel?

Zeph. 3:12, 13.

"I will leave within you the meek and humble, who trust in the

name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel will do no wrong; they

will speak no lies, nor will deceit be found in their mouths" (Zeph.

3:12, NIV). Victory over sin, through the power of the indwelling

Christ, will be the experience of God's people

before

Christ's second

coming. The book of Revelation echoes Zephaniah's message.

Those who are sealed in the last remnants of time (Rev. 7:1-3) and

who will ultimately stand with Christ on "Mount Zion" have "his

name and his Father's name written on their foreheads" (Rev. 14:1,

NIV). They have received the gift of Christ's character as He has

come into their hearts by the Holy Spirit. These are the people who

have responded to the three angels' messages and who, through

Christ's grace, are obeying His commandments (verse 12).

How well do I know my Shepherd? What do I need to under-

stand or do in order to appreciate Him more? How can I receive

His power for victory over sin?

March 23

REJOICE! (Zeph. 3:14-16).

What does Zephaniah suggest as an appropriate response on

the part of those who have been redeemed and restored? Zeph.

3:14.

God's people are united at last. And He is dwelling in their

midst. (See Rev. 21:3.) How can they keep from expressing their

love and praise? "And they sang a new song before the throne and

before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn

the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the

earth" (Rev. 14:3, NIV).

Why is singing an important part of our Christian experience?

Ps. 105:2, 3.

"Let praise and thanksgiving be expressed in song. When

tempted, instead of giving utterance to our feelings, let us by faith

lift up a song of thanksgiving to God.

"Song is a weapon that we can always use against discourage-

ment. As we thus open the heart to the sunlight of the Saviour's

presence, we shall have health and His blessing."—The

Ministry of

Healing,

p. 254.

Does this prescription for physical, mental, and spiritual

health apply to all kinds of singing? What can you do when you

do not feel like singing? How can you gain more blessings from

congregational singing?

Consider the reason for the song of the redeemed. Zeph. 3:15;

Rev. 5:12, 13.

Zephaniah 3:16 indicates that the hands of those restored to

their land will not be "slack." Slack or fallen hands indicate

despair. But the Lord will lift their hands in praise. "The cross of

Christ will be the . . . song of the redeemed through all eternity. In

Christ glorified they will behold Christ crucified. . . . As the na-

tions of the saved look upon their Redeemer and behold the eter-

nal glory of the Father shining in His countenance . . . they break

forth in rapturous song: " 'Worthy, worthy is the Lamb that was

slain, and hath redeemed us to God by His own most precious

blood!'

"—The Great Controversy,

pp. 651, 652.

Thy

March 24

AND AGAIN I SAY REJOICE! (Zeph. 3:17).

In what fascinating way does God respond to the song of the

redeemed? Zeph. 3:17.

"We must bear in mind the great joy manifested by the

Shepherd at the recovery of the lost. He calls upon His neighbors,

'Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.' "All

heaven echoes the note of joy. The Father Himself joys over the

rescued one with singing. . . . That joy it is your privilege to

share."—Testimonies,

vol. 6, p. 125.

Which one of Jesus' parables also shows us how God

responds to the saving of the lost? Luke 15:11-32.

"All heaven is interested in our salvation. The angels of God,

thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand,

are commissioned to minister to those who shall be heirs of salva-

tion. They guard us against evil and press back the powers of

darkness that are seeking our destruction. Have we not reason to

be thankful every moment, thankful even when there are apparent

difficulties in our

pathway?"—Testimonies,

vol. 6, p. 63.

God is "mighty to save" (Zeph. 3:17, NIV).

A young woman be-

came discouraged by the criticism she encountered in her church.

She wandered away from Christ, married out of the church, and had

a beautiful baby daughter. Then one summer she decided to join her

parents at camp meeting. One evening the preacher said, "I believe

there is someone here who has come to camp meeting to find Jesus."

The Holy Spirit spoke to the young woman's heart. When the

preacher made an altar call a few nights later, the young woman

walked to the front. With a breaking heart she told the preacher her

story and requested rebaptism. A baptismal tank was set up in the

auditorium, and two nights later the young mother was baptized.

Her husband joined her as their little one was dedicated to Jesus, and

he too declared his interest in coming nearer to the Lord. Christ's in-

finite love leads Him to plead earnestly over a long period of time for

us to submit our all to Him.

Are you aware of how much God longs to save you? Have

you committed all you are and have to Him? What can you do to

share His love, interest, and concern with those about you?

Vakesdas

March 25

HOME AT LAST (Zeph. 3:18, 19).

The meaning of verse 18 seems to be as follows: "While in exile,

those faithful to God were deprived of the privilege of attending

the holy festivals (see on Hosea 2:11). By faith the prophet looks

forward to a time when the true sons of God will be gathered to

worship Him, undisturbed by any 'reproach.'

"—SDA Bible Com-

mentary,

vol. 4, p. 1069.

The scattering of Israel was a great reproach. But God would

gather them back into His presence where no one would be able to

reproach them again. This prophecy will be fulfilled in the ulti-

mate sense when God gathers His people of all ages to their heav-

enly home.

What precious promise does God make to all who have been

oppressed? Zeph. 3:19.

The bright home of the saints.

"The bright home of the saints

was presented vividly before me. . . . I seemed to be there, where

all was peace, where no stormy conflicts of earth could ever come.

Heaven, a kingdom of righteousness where all the holy and pure

and blest are congregated—ten thousand times ten thousand and

thousands of thousands—living and walking in happy, pure inti-

macy, praising God and the Lamb who sitteth on the throne. Their

voices were in perfect harmony. They never do each other wrong.

Princes of heaven, the potentates of this mighty realm, are rivals

only in good, seeking the happiness and joy of each other. The

greatest there is least in self-esteem, and the least is greatest in his

gratitude and wealth of love.

"There are no dark errors to cloud the intellect. Truth and

knowledge, clear, strong, and perfect, have chased every doubt

away, and no gloom of doubt casts its baleful shadow upon its

happy inhabitants. No voices of contention mar the sweet and per-

fect peace of heaven. Its inhabitants know no sorrow, no grief, no

tears. All is in perfect harmony, in perfect order and perfect

bliss. . . .

"Heaven, sweet heaven, the saints' eternal home, the abode for

the toilers, where the weary who have borne the heavy burdens

through life find rest, peace, and joy! They sowed in tears, they

reap with joy and triumph. Heaven is a home where sympathy is

alive in every heart, expressed in every look. Love reigns there.

There are no jarring elements, no discord or contentions or war of

words."—Letter 30, 1882 (to G. I. Butler).

March 26

WILL YOU BE THERE? (Zeph. 3:20).

On what triumphant note does Zephaniah end? Zeph. 3:20.

This prophecy will not be fulfilled until we are gathered into the

eternal kingdom. But for now, the Lord wants us to be a leavening

influence for good in this world.

"It is God's purpose that His people shall be a sanctified, puri-

fied, holy people, communicating light to all around them. . . . The

grace of Christ is sufficient to bring this about. But let God's

people remember that only as they believe and work out the prin-

ciples of the gospel can He make them a praise in the earth. Only

as they use their God-given capabilities in His service will they

enjoy the fullness and power of the promise whereon the church

has been called to

stand."—Testimonies,

vol.

8, p. 14.

What earnest and wonderful invitation does Christ extend to

us? Matt. 11:28-30; Rev. 22:17.

Time and again the prophets called the people to come to God

so that He could come to them. (See Zech. 1:3; Mal. 3:7.) The in-

vitation becomes particularly urgent in these last moments before

Jesus returns.

Dr. Clarence Macartney is best known for his sermon entitled

"Come Before Winter." He first preached it in 1915. Every October

from that time on, he preached this same sermon until he pre-

sented it for the last time in 1945 in the First Presbyterian Church

in Pittsburgh.

In the unforgettable conclusion of the sermon that touched so

many hearts, he urged: "Once again, I repeat these words of the

apostle, 'Come before winter'; and as I pronounce them, common

sense, experience, conscience, Scripture, the Holy Spirit, . . . and

the Lord Jesus Christ all repeat with me, 'Come before winter.'

Come before the haze of Indian summer has faded from the fields;

come before the November winds strip the leaves from the trees

and send them whirling over the fields; come before the snows lie

on the uplands and the meadow brook is turned to ice; come

before the heart is cold; come before desire has failed; come before

life is over and your probation ended and you stand before God to

give account of the use you have made of the opportunities which

in His grace He has granted. Come before winter." (See Rev.

22:17.)

March 27

FURTHER STUDY:

Study Isaiah's emphasis on "waiting " for the

Lord in order better to understand Zephaniah's admonition in

Zephaniah 3:8:

Isa. 40:31



Isa. 42:4



Isa. 49:23



Isa. 64:4



An intense longing for heaven.

"If we can meet Jesus in peace

and be saved, forever saved, we shall be the happiest of beings!

Oh, to be at home at last where the wicked cease from troubling

and the weary are at rest! Heaven, sweet heaven! Oh, how I shall

appreciate heaven! I know that I must watch and keep my gar-

ments unspotted from the world or I shall never enter the abode of

the blessed. The east is not separated farther from the west than

the children of light are separated from the children of darkness.

We must watch continually and pray always that we may not be

overcome with Satan's devices. I long for a greater faith, a more

earnest consecration."—Letter 113, 1886 (to J. E. White and wife).

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

The lessons this quarter from Joel,

Micah, and Zephaniah have centered on the themes of revival and

reformation, judgment, and the restoration of all that was lost to

sin. Quickly review these lessons, then answer the following:

What have you learned that was new to you?

How do you feel about God now? How have these lessons

helped you appreciate Him more?

How can you best show your love and appreciation?

SUMMARY:

Zephaniah brings his message to a close with the

most encouraging series of promises from God. The wicked will be

destroyed, and God's faithful remnant people will be ushered into

the kingdom of glory. He will live with His people and give them

eternal peace and rejoicing.

Like the Leaves of Autumn

4‘

. . . these (leaflets and pamphlets) must be scattered like the leaves

of autumn"

Testimonies,

vol. 9, p. 231.

"We spread them (the publications) before the Lord, and with

earnest prayers mingled with tears, entreated that His blessing might at-

tend the silent messengers"

Testimonies, vol. 1,

p. 88.

This is how it started. Today the same commitment is called for from

every believer.

•

Always carry literature

•

Restock the church supply quarterly

•

Learn what literature is available to meet different needs

•

Have a personal goal for sharing literature

1990-1995 The Quinquennium of Missionary Literature

Mozambique

EURO-



ION

Atlantic Ocean

PROJECTS

Mozambique:

chapel in Maputo. Fomento

France:

evangelistic center in Paris

Portugal:

reconstruction of primary/

secondary school in Lisbon

Unions

Churches

Population

Membership

Division

54.199.000

Angola

384

105,187

9,334,000

Austnan

2.955

7,590,000

Bulgarian

3,327

8,970,000

Czechoslovakian

174

7,910

15,573,000

Franco-Belgian

137

10,489

85,949,000

German Dem. Republic

282

9,088

18,641,000

Italian

5,023

57,790,000

Mozambique

469

51,170

14,932.000

Portuguese

7.067

10,350.000

Romanian

525

59.493

22,936,000

South German

210

13,232

30,583,000

Spanish

5.560

38,931,000

Swiss

4.084

8.585,000

West German

168

11.885

30,518.000

Totals June 30 1989

2,721

296.305

390.881.000